Of Blood and Tears
by DarkNovelist1217
Summary: Two years after GOB, cracks have begun to form throughout the multiverse, breaking the boundaries of the worlds and causing the return of powerful agents of evil. With their newfound strength, they have begun wiping out the strongest of heroes and claiming their worlds. With the champions of light gone, who will be left to stop them? Yuri, violence. Part 2 of the Blademaster saga.
1. Prolouge

**Of Blood and Tears**

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

I woke up to the unmistakable sounds of a battle raging outside my room. I stood up and walked over to the window to see what was going on. Outside, a girl with long black hair and green vertebrae like horns wearing a black dress and wielding a scythe, along with a red haired man wearing a black kimono and wielding a black and white sword with forward facing spikes were fighting a skyscraper sized cloaked monster with a skull mask. Grabbing my nearby zanpakuto, I quickly ran out of my room and down the hall towards the stairs. I made it down the first flight and onto the second floor. As I ran through the hallway, a young man with short black hair wearing a business-like school uniform and carrying an ornate sword in a blue sheath ran up alongside me.

"What is it this time?" he asked as we ran.

"Hollow, and a menos grande by the looks of it." I answered. "It's a gillian."

The man smiled arrogantly, revealing fangs among his teeth. "Heh, that'll be a piece of cake for us!"

We continued to run through the building until we arrived outside. The other two were standing a good distance away from the menos, both of them somewhat injured. The giant hollow stared down at us over its long nose. It seemed to have taken some damage, but because gillians were always so sluggishly slow, it was hard to tell if it had even noticed the injuries. The hollow roared, most likely preparing for an attack.

"About time you got here!" yelled the red haired man angrily as he dodged a kick from the menos. "This guy doesn't know when to quit!"

"I'm amazed you're having trouble with a single gillian. I thought they weren't a problem for you anymore?" I said sarcastically.

"Do you have any idea how late it is? I'm tired enough as it is…"

"We've hit him quite a few times, but it doesn't seem to be making a difference." said the girl with horns. Now that I was close to her, I could see her luminescent green eyes.

"You guys have done enough, let us finish this guy off!" the black haired man declared.

Without waiting for a response, he drew his sword from its sheath, suddenly covering himself in blue flames. With a shout, he sent forth a burst of fire at the hollow's head, scorching it on contact. The hollow roared in pain from the strike before an enormous orb of red energy began to form in its mouth.

"Dammit Rin! All you did was piss it off!" yelled the red haired man.

"Whoops…" the black haired man said, shrugging his shoulders. The other man grabbed him and dove behind the remains of a fallen building for cover.

The green-eyed girl turned toward me. "Aren't you going to get behind something?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You go ahead and take cover." I replied.

The girl gave me a worried look, but did as I said and disappeared behind some rubble. I turned toward the menos and concentrated as I extended my left arm. Within moments, a large black cannon materialized around my arm, with my fingers already on the trigger. I waited for the hollow's cero to build up to firing point before I pulled the trigger. A flaming blue projectile the size of a small car burst from my cannon towards the hollow. It struck his lower jaw, causing him to close its mouth in surprise, sealing the cero inside its jaws. The cero exploded, causing the hollow enough pain to fall toward the ground.

"Run! You'll be crushed!" called the green-eyed girl from where she hid.

But instead of running, I drew my sword with my free hand. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki." (sleeve of white snow)

My zanpakuto became a beautiful pure white, with a ribbon trailing from the base of its hilt. The menos was falling faster now, he would crush me if I didn't act soon.

"Run!" the girl called again.

I quickly made a circle around me and leapt back. "Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro!" (first dance, white moon)

An enormous pillar of ice rose up from the circle just as the hollow's head was about to land on me, impaling its head and thus striking its weak point. The giant monster slowly began to dissolve before completely fading away. When it was gone, I re-sheathed my sword. The green-eyed girl ran over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest.

"Don't scare me like that! I thought I was going to lose you…" she said quietly.

I put my hand on her head and began to stroke it to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Yomi. I'll try to be more rational next time." I said softly. "Come on, let's go back to sleep."

That seemed to satisfy her, so she let go of me and told the other two to follow us. Just outside the abandoned apartment building we had made our home, the red haired man shot me a look of concern.

"Is something wrong, Renji?" I asked.

"You used that weapon again. Sometimes I wonder, just how much of you is still…well, you?"

I fell silent at this, for I did not know the answer. Renji seemed to read my mind, and let out a sigh before going inside and heading to his room. I soon arrived at my own room on the third floor, from which I could look out my window at the ruined city around us. I set my zanpakuto down beside my bed. For some reason a shower sounded really good, so I undressed and went into my bathroom. I found a towel to use, but as I reached for it, I stopped when caught my reflection in the mirror. I stood up straight and gazed at the mirror. A young pale skinned woman with luminescent blue eyes and long black hair stared back at me.

My name is Rukia Kuchiki. Or at least, it used to be…

* * *

**A/N:** DarkNovelist here. I originally planned to write this at a later time, as I am still not 100% certain on how this will go. As always, I encourage you to enjoy and review, as I am always willing to hear your opinions (constructive criticism is fine, just don't be a hater please). I promise I will update this as soon as I am able. I encourage you to read my first two stories (Altered Destiny and Advent of Black Souls) as some events in this will be based off of the events in those stories. Thanks! DarkNovelist out.


	2. Chapter 1

**Part One: Tragedy**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Start of a Nightmare**

* * *

**Karakura Town, 5 Months Earlier…**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

I remember when all this madness began. It was a hot summer day, and as usual Ichigo and I were going about our daily routine of hunting hollows.

_SCHINK!_

Ichigo cut through the mask of a larger hollow with ease. Over the years we've fought together, he's become quite powerful, especially now that the captain commander's powers (as well as my own) were flowing through him. Sometimes I wonder why we still call him 'the substitute soul reaper'. Ichigo yawned and turned toward me.

"That's the twentieth one today. Man, they're really giving it everything they got nowadays, aren't they Rukia?" he said to me.

"Yeah, it certainly seems like they've become more active recently." I replied.

I reached into my kimono and took out the cellphone shaped hollow-detector. I flipped it open and scanned the small screen.

"Anything?" Ichigo asked, casually leaning against his large sword.

"No, nothing. There's not a hollow for miles…" I squinted my eyes to get a better look at the phone. Surely they couldn't have just given up and gone back to Hueco Mundo?

"No more hollows? You sure?" Ichigo was getting excited.

"Yeah, looks that way."

"Alright! Now I can finally take a break."

"Don't get so relaxed, you fool. They might show up again any min-" I paused as I noticed something odd.

"Rukia? What is it?" Ichigo became serious again at the sight of my worried expression. "More hollows?"

"I'm not sure. I'm picking up a strange reiatsu (spirit energy) reading not far from here."

"We better check it out then."

I nodded, and then started in the direction of the strange reading, Ichigo following close behind me. As we began to near the source of the reading, I noticed another spiritual presence appear on the detector. On closer inspection, I realized what, or rather, who the new presence was.

"Ichigo, Ishida is approaching the disturbance."

"Oh, so he thinks he can beat us there huh? Well not if we beat him first!"

Ichigo put on a sudden burst of speed.

"Hey! Ichigo! This isn't a race!" I tried. He was already a long way ahead of me. Jeez, would it kill him to grow up just a little bit?

Eventually I managed to catch up to him. Ichigo was standing near the river where he lost his mother when he was young. I checked my phone again, this was definitely the place. Surprisingly, there was no sign of Ishida anywhere.

"Ichigo, do you see anything?" I asked.

He didn't answer. He just kept staring at something in front of us. I wondered if he was ignoring me, when I realized his zanpakuto was no longer slung across his back. I quickly ran up next to him to see what was going on. I froze when I saw the scene before us. Down below, on the riverbank, was what looked like a ninja clad in gold and black with armored boots, shoulder pads, and mouth guard. The ninja had pure white eyes that gazed at us with absolute hate. Two ornate jagged short swords resembling scorpion stingers were slung across his back. The ninja wasn't what caused me to freeze though, it was the scorched dead body stripped of its outer flesh lying on the ground in front of him. A pair of broken glasses lay next to the body.

"My god…" I started. "Ichigo, you don't think…" The dead body could only be Ishida.

"What are you doing here, Scorpion?" Ichigo asked, ignoring me.

"That is none of your concern, Kurosaki." answered the ninja.

"Ichigo, you know him?" I asked.

"Sort of, I met him at the tournament. He was one of the competitors."

"The tournament? You mean…"

"Yes, that one."

I knew what he meant. Two years ago, Ichigo took part in a tournament where he fought to the death with other powerful blade wielders. He, along with two other fighters, managed to survive the twisted game and defeat the fiend who had orchestrated it. If this man, Scorpion, had been one of the competitors in the tournament, then he would definitely be a very skilled warrior.

"Care to explain to me why you're in my world? And why you've just murdered my friend?" Ichigo said. I could tell he was growing angrier by the second.

"I have been resurrected to serve under a new master. If the fool who I roasted was your ally, then I will have to grant you the same fate." Scorpion took a stance without drawing his twin swords. "Under my new contract, I am to destroy all who resist the darkness, regardless of my thoughts on the matter."

Ichigo readied his sword. "Rukia, go to Soul Society. Find out what the hell's going on."

"What? Since when can you order me arou-"

"Dammit Rukia, this isn't the time! If this guy came here, who knows how many others will show up? We need to know what's happening, now go! I'll hold him off!"

Before I could object any further, he charged toward Scorpion. While the two of them began to duel, I opened a Senkaimon (doorway) to Soul Society. I glanced back at them one last time. Ichigo will be all right, I'm sure of it. He's easily the most powerful 19 year old in this world. As I turned to leave, I caught something strange out of the corner of my eye. For a moment I thought I saw a large black scar, almost like a huge crack, on the side of the riverbank. I disappeared through the doorway before I could investigate any further.

* * *

**Soul Society**

* * *

I came out of the doorway in the western side of Seiretei, the capital city for soul reapers like me and Ichigo. After taking a few steps forward, I could already see something was horribly wrong. All around me, everywhere I looked, Seiretei was burning. The courtyard around me had been smashed to pieces, leaving only a few decorative pillars standing. I immediately went into a run as I headed toward the captain commander's quarters. I had to inform him right away, and I had to figure out the reason for the destruction around me. As I ran through the streets, I saw the broken and bloodied bodies of dozens of soul reapers, both young and old. I stopped after rounding one corner. A large man in a captain's uniform was lying on the ground, blood covering his right eye and gashes everywhere across his body. A badly worn katana lay near him, and a short girl with pink hair wearing a lieutenant's armband was crouching over the large man.

"Kenny? Kenny? Get up Kenny! That strong guy is getting further and further away. C'mon Kenny, get up! Kenny?" the young girl tried.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that captain Kenpachi was dead, I could hardly believe it myself. But there was no denying he was deceased, as I wasn't being driven to my knees by his massive reiatsu. I left the horrid sight behind me as I continued toward the captain commander's quarters. The bodies seemed to increase the closer I got to my destination. Just what the hell was behind all this? I was finally getting close, when my eyes beheld a sight more terrifying than seeing Kenpachi's corpse. Standing around ten feet away from me was a demonic looking knight in azure armor. The knight's upper and lower halves were separated by what looked like an orb of darkness. Purple-black fire flew out of the back of his helmet like hair. His left hand held a large great-sword with an eye in the center of its hand guard. His right hand was grotesquely disfigured and had three large claws in place of fingers. And dangling from those claws, with seemingly no life left at all, was none other than Byakuya Kuchiki, my brother-in law. The knight turned toward me, observing with red eyes.

"Brother!" I foolishly cried.

The azure knight turned toward me. "**Ah, another soul to feed my thirst**." he said in a distorted low voice.

He dropped Byakuya and began to walk toward me. I wanted to draw my sword and fight him, make him pay for hurting my brother and everyone else I've seen lying dead in the streets. But my body refused to move, I was paralyzed by those burning red eyes that gazed into mine with cruel intent. He raised his sword as he drew near me, ready to end my life with a single blow.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" shouted a familiar voice.

The knight looked in the direction of the sound just in time for an extended sword with forward facing spikes to slam into him, knocking him into a nearby wall. A man with spiky red hair and tattoos on his face jumped in front of me.

"Rukia! Are you alright?" Renji asked.

All I could do was nod. Renji noticed my shock and turned to where I had been looking. He closed his eyes in pain after taking a look a t Byakuya's bloodied body.

"Dammit! If only I had gotten here sooner…Wait, Rukia, where's Ichigo? We could seriously use his help right now!"

"He's still in the human world, fighting a man named Scorpion from another world."

"So it's not just here…"

"Renji, what's going on? Where did that knight come from?"

"He emerged out of a giant crack inside the captain commander's quarters. Yamamoto tried to deal with him, but he…"

"Renji?" I could sense the horror in his next words:

"He killed Captain Commander Yamamoto."

"The head captain…is dead?!"

First Kenpachi, then brother, and now even the head captain? Who would be left to stop the knight if the strongest among us have fallen so easily? While I thought about this, the knight removed himself from his forcefully made seat in the wall.

"**Fool, I am not so easily defeated. Now, become a part of the nightmare…**" the knight declared as he readied his sword.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." said a weak voice.

A cloud of what looked like pink flower petals swarmed around the knight, trapping him. I looked back to the source of the voice. Byakuya had regained the strength to stand, but he was still badly injured.

"Brother!" I said before running towards him.

He held out his palm to stop me as I drew near.

"Brother?"

"Rukia…" he started weakly. "get out of here. Find what survivors you can and flee this place…"

"Then we're taking you with us!"

"No, I will stay. I will give you some time to escape."

"Brother, please…"

He put his hand on my head. "Listen, Rukia…you must carry on our family name. As the last of the Kuchiki family, it is your duty to ensure the safety of your fellow soul reapers and to uphold our traditions."

"Byakuya…"

"Please respect my last wishes, Rukia…" I felt myself being pushed away from him by some of his petals until I bumped into Renji. "Lt. Abarai."

"Yes, captain?" Renji said, startled.

Byakuya paused for a moment. "This is my last order," he said as he turned away from us. "Take care of Rukia."

Renji's startled look became serious. He nodded. "I will, captain."

Suddenly, Renji scooped me up in his arms and started to run. I looked back at my brother as the swarm of petals around the knight burst apart. The knight started walking toward Byakuya, wave after wave of the petal shaped blades crashing into him. It didn't slow him down at all. I tried to get free of Renji's grip.

"Renji, let me go! Brother is-"

"I know." he said. His voice was low and quiet.

He continued to run, ignoring my attempts to break away from him. I glanced back again. Now Byakuya was within striking distance of the knight's sword.

"Renji, please!"

"Don't look, Rukia."

I disobeyed, and looked back one more time. The knight had Byakuya's head in his claw hand. I watched as he tightened his grip and dark crimson burst through his claws.

"BROTHER!"

* * *

We reached the human world soon after, along with Rangiku Matsumoto, Captain Hitsugaya, Ikkaku Madarame, and Captain Soi Fon. Ichigo was waiting for us when we arrived. I lowered my head so he couldn't see how red my eyes were from crying.

"Where's Scorpion?" I asked.

"Disappeared. He said something about being called back to his master. Oh! Looks like you brought some reinforcements!" he replied. He must've noticed I was upset, because then he asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

I wasn't sure where to begin. Luckily, Hitsugaya bailed me out.

"Kurosaki, there is something you should know." said the young captain. "Soul Society has fallen."

Ichigo's eyes went wide with disbelief. "What?! But how? Aren't you guys the str-"

"We lost everyone, Kurosaki! EVERYONE!"

"You mean…"

"Yes. The soul reapers standing here right now…are the last soul reapers in existence."

* * *

**A/N:** Both part one and part two will be in the same story.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Watcher**

* * *

**The Otherworld, at the same time…**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

Something was wrong. I had been walking across the endless wastelands of the Otherworld with Black Rock Shooter, my former enemy who renounced her violent ways two years ago, when I sensed a disturbance - no, multiple disturbances start to arise in the dimensions bordering ours. Black seemed to notice this, as she walked up and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Strength, is something wrong?" the pale girl asked.

Black Rock Shooter wore a black jacket with a star on the back over her bra (she's flat chested, don't worry ), short shorts, and black combat boots. I tilted my head to face her. "I just felt something strange going on in the other dimensions. It feels as if everyone, everywhere, is crying out for help."

Like everyone else in our world, Black had an emotionless stare, but I thought I saw a glint of concern in her bright sapphire eyes.

"I thought your range was limited to our world and the human world. How can you sense the others?"

"I became aware of the other dimensions when White Steel Wrath created that tournament two years ago. If he can gaze into other dimensions, so can I."

This only seemed to increase her concern. "Strength, can you see what's going on in the human world? Is Mato in danger?"

I closed my eyes and focused on the human world tethered to ours. From what I could see, the city where Black and my other halves lived was bustling with activity. It looked as if everything was all right, but then I noticed something that made me very worried. The people in the city were running from something, and smoke clouds were rising above the rooftops. A tall shadow leapt to the top of one of the shorter buildings. With a gasp, I recognized the figure as Skorge, a humanoid monster who had nearly taken my life in the past. He hissed from where he stood, and soon a mob of hideous grey humanoid creatures carrying firearms charged down the streets. Just as they began to near the school Mato and Yuu attended, I opened my eyes and the vision disappeared.

"Well?" asked Black again.

I turned toward her, not even trying to hide the shock on my face. "We need to get to the human world. They're under attack, and if we don't go soon I doubt Mato and Yuu will survive."

Black nodded, but then asked, "How? Isn't the only way we can travel back and forth was by switching bodies with our other halves?"

I hung my head. "Unfortunately for us, yes. If we were from another world, it wouldn't be that difficult."

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that." a new voice interjected.

Black and I turned toward the sound. Standing on a large boulder not far from us was a dark haired man in bronze gladiator like armor holding a spear and shield. I could tell by his pale skin and ringed iris's that he was an other-worlder like us. I knew of only one other male from this world, and he was long gone. Good riddance, seeing as how he tried to enslave every dimension. Instinct made me raise my fists in anticipation of a fight.

"Who are you?" I demanded of the stranger.

"I am Phalanx." he stated.

"Do you have some sort of business with us, Phalanx?"

"I do. I was sent by someone who wishes to remove you." He readied his spear and drew his shield in front of him. "If you can defeat me, I will show you how to reach the human world."

"Fair enough." I said as I clenched my giant fists tighter.

Phalanx immediately lunged at me the second I finished talking. He thrust his spear at my head. I ducked under it and swung with my left fist. He managed to block it with his shield in time, but because of that he was unable to defend against my right fist. He flew backwards at the impact. If he was a normal human, that single punch would've broken just about every bone in his torso. Phalanx quickly recovered and charged at me shield-first. I easily caught the attack, but was surprised when he let go of the shield to take a stab at me. Just before his blade connected though, a flaming blue projectile slammed into his side. I turned to see Black holding her currently smoking cannon, for the first time in two years.

"I promised never to fight again," she started. "but I will not abandon Mato. I will not let her die."

I smiled as Black fired again just as Phalanx was getting up. He managed to shrug it off this time, and came at us with his spear again. Black summoned her katana, and the two of us ran to meet him. With our combined skill, Phalanx was quickly overwhelmed. It didn't take long for us to beat him into submission. I picked up Phalanx, using just enough restraint to keep him from suffocating in my large hand.

"Alright, we won. Now tell us who sent you and how we get to the human world!"

Phalanx motioned his head to my left. I turned and saw a giant scar like crack in the ground. A light shone through the crack, and the sound of faint screams and gunfire could be heard in its direction.

"That is the barrier between the human world and ours. You need only walk through to enter the other plane." Phalanx instructed.

I turned to Black and told her to gather Dead Master, Gold Saw, and Chariot, as they were most likely as concerned for their counterparts as we were. She nodded and took off, then I returned my gaze to Phalanx.

"Who sent you to kill me?" I demanded.

"He said his name was- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Phalanx suddenly burst into blue flames.

I watched as he quickly turned to ash in my hand. While I was trying to make sense of what had just happened, Black returned with Gold Saw and Dead Master.

"Where's Chariot?" I asked, noticing the blonde rider's absence.

"Couldn't find her." Black replied. "Maybe she's gone ahead of us?"

"I hope so. Let's go, we don't have much time."

The four of us readied our weapons and jumped into the crack. When we came out in the human world, we were standing on the roof of a small building. I ran over to the fence lining the edge of the roof to get a grasp on our position. It had been awhile since I had last lived in the human world, but even still I quickly recognized the building we were on. Lucky us, we had landed on the roof of the school. A scream from below drew my attention. On the ground, a couple of students were surrounded by some of the grey skinned monsters.

"We need to get those things away from the school! Gold Saw, with me. Black, Dead, take care of any that may have gotten inside." I ordered.

The others nodded in agreement. Black and Dead opened the door and disappeared into the school while Gold Saw and I leapt to the ground below. The creatures backed up a bit as we landed between them and the students.

"Attaaaaaaack!" one of them said, though his voice was low and raspy.

The creatures opened fire on us, spraying bullets everywhere. Since we weren't human, the injuries didn't phase us and we quickly disposed of the creatures. I turned back to the students and told them to run. They left without a moment's hesitation. Gold Saw and I made a sweep of the campus, taking care of the attackers as we went. When they finally stopped coming, we decided to head inside and check on the others. Inside the school, the lifeless bodies of a handful of monsters lined the halls of the first floor, until the blood and gore finally vanished at the top of the stairs to the second floor. A feeling of déjà vu swept over me as I took the familiar steps leading to Saya's room. I took a peak inside the door to find Mato and Yomi huddled next to the young guidance counselor. Saya looked over in my direction, a look of joy and relief forming as her dark brown eyes fell upon me.

"Strength!" she yelled with joy.

Mato and Yomi looked up, sighing in relief when they saw me. I tried to step into the room, but my massive gloves wouldn't fit through the doorway. I noticed Black and Dead walking up from the other end of the hallway. I gave them a reassuring smile when they shot me looks of concern. I turned back to the three inside the room.

"I's all right now. Come with us, we'll get you all out of here."

Soon after, we were all gathered on the roof. I did a head count to make sure we had everyone, and realized a few members were absent.

"Where're Kagari and Yuu?" I asked.

"We haven't seen them since those things showed up." answered Mato.

"Hmm…" First Chariot goes missing, and now Kagari and Yuu? What's going on? "Hold on, I'll try to locate Yuu. Kagari might be with her as well."

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my other half. Just as I connected to Yuu's mind, something forced me out. I was so surprised that I fell back. Luckily, Saya got behind me and caught me before I landed.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I…got rejected. Something wasn't letting me reach Yuu."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "That was the first time something has forced me out of someone's mind like that."

I decided to put finding Yuu on hold for now. Hopefully I wouldn't regret that decision.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like Yuu and Kagari will have to take care of themselves for now." Noticing the troubled look on Mato and Yomi's faces, I quickly added "But Chariot is also missing, so she'll probably run into them."

They looked a little less worried now, but it was the best thing I could think of saying.

"Strength, what should we do?" asked Saya, who was still holding onto me.

"Um, Saya. I'm not falling anymore."

"What? Oh! Sorry." she let go of me.

"Anyway, I think we should leave this world and look for someone who can help. As strong as we are, there's no way we could take on an army of that size and not lose someone in the process."

The others started murmuring and nodding in agreement. Yomi then peered at me through her glasses.

"What about everyone else? Are we just going to turn our backs to the normal citizens?" she asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on the chaos around us. From what I could see, almost all of the humans had either fled the city or were in the process of doing so. I opened my eyes again and faced Yomi.

"Don't worry, I just took a look and it seems that everyone got out okay."

Yomi seemed to relax after hearing that. "Okay."

"There's still one problem though: you three won't last very long as you are now." interjected Dead. Obviously she meant Saya, Mato, and Yomi.

I turned toward Yomi's counterpart in confusion. "What are you saying, Dead?"

"They're just normal humans. If what Black Rock Shooter told me is true, and everywhere is like this, they'll be killed before we know it." her normally emotionless green eyes glared intently at me, meaning she was dead serious. (pun intended)

"What do you think we should do then?"

"They should merge their bodies with ours. If we let them use our bodies, they'll be able to protect themselves."

I thought about it for a moment. I had to admit, Dead had a point. If the halves came together, they might even become stronger than before.

"I think I see your point. Good idea, Dead Master." I turned to Mato and Yomi. "Is this okay with you?"

A smile of determination grew on Mato's face. "You bet! If it means we can help, I'll go for it!"

"So will I." Yomi said. "I'm not just going to sit by and watch people suffer. Not this time."

I turned around to face the only adult among the humans here. "Saya?"

"If it means I can protect you, then I'll gladly accept." she said softly.

"Uh, thanks. All right then, just hold still for a moment."

I quickly went to each pair, joining the two halves together. When I was done, it looked as if nothing had changed at all about Dead, Black, or Gold Saw. That is, until they started talking.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Black said in Mato's voice. I should probably just refer to her as 'Mato' from now on.

"This is kind of odd…but I think I like it." said Dead in Yomi's voice. I'll just call her Yomi.

"Oh, that wedding veil and black dress makes you look so pretty, Yomi!"

"T-thank you." Yomi said quietly, blushing.

"I can get used to this…" Gold Saw said with Saya's voice happily. I'll call her Saya.

"Alright, everyone ready?" I asked once they looked like they were used to their new bodies.

They all gave me an affirmative nod before stepping into the crack leading to the Otherworld. As I stepped into the crack, I thought I saw the shadow of a schoolgirl with long pointed ears and a tail. The shadow's wicked smile was the last thing I saw before I vanished from the human world.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Old Friends**

* * *

**Karakura Town, Urahara's Shop**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

"Kurosaki, are you sure about this?" said captain Hitsugaya.

It had been nearly a day since the attack on Seireitei. We had gathered in Kisuke Urahara's shop, so as to gather up the last of the soul reapers and try to get a grip on the situation. Along with Ichigo, Renji and myself, the other survivors were Soi Fon, Ikkaku Madarame, Rangiku Matsumoto, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Kisuke Urahara, and Yoruichi Shihoin. We were joined by Ichigo's friends, Chad and Orihime Inoue. They were gifted with spiritual powers as well, and thus were also involved in the debate over what to do now that we have been reduced to almost nothing. We all agreed that the first thing we should do was determine the cause behind the crack-shaped dimensional rifts that had brought the attackers upon us. Unfortunately, none of us knew where to even begin searching for an answer. That is, until Ichigo had an idea.

"I think I know someone who can help us out!" he had shouted.

Curious, we all gave him a look of interest. "Who?"

"Her name is Strength, she's from a dimension separate from ours. When I was caught in this messed up tournament two years ago, she told me what was going on behind the scenes. If she hadn't warned me, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"That's right. You mentioned you met a girl who had the ability to see across worlds and observe everything. Is this that same girl?" I asked.

"Yep, that's her."

"Are you certain this girl can help us?" asked Mr. Urahara.

"If anyone knows what's going on, it'll be her."

"And how would we find this 'Strength'?" said captain Soi Fon.

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to contact her." Ichigo slumped back, admitting defeat. But it was short lived, as he was soon serious again. "I think we should go through the dimensional crack. If it's a gateway between worlds, then there's a chance it could lead us to her."

The rest of us thought about this for a moment. After a few minutes, Hitsugaya broke the silence.

"I see your point, Ichigo, but I can't help but be concerned. Remember, we are the last few soul reapers in existence. If we go through that portal, we may encounter a foe much like the one that tore Seireitei apart. So before we run blindly into the dark, let me ask you this: Kurosaki, are you absolutely sure about this?"

Ichigo nodded his head, never breaking eye contact with Hitsugaya. "This is the only path we can take now."

Hitsugaya nodded in approval. "Very well, then. Let us be on our-"

_SCHING!_

"Gk!" Hitsugaya suddenly froze with a look of surprise on his face.

"Captain?" asked Matsumoto, his lieutenant, worriedly.

Hitsugaya remained in his shocked position, just before a fountain of blood exploded from his throat and he collapsed to the ground. It looked like his neck had been ripped open by sharp claws.

"Captain!" Matsumoto shrieked.

"Hssssss…." came a noise from somewhere in front of us.

We all watched as a man with scaly green skin and yellow reptilian eyes wearing a hood with a mouth-guard, wooden ankle and wrist pads, a right shoulder pad, and green tights under a black belt and tunic materialized out of thin air over Hitsugaya's corpse. Blood stained his clawed fingers. We all immediately stood up and drew our weapons. Always eager for a fight, Ikkaku immediately rushed toward the scaled man, swinging with both sword and scabbard. With astonishing speed, the man evaded both attacks. Then he countered by thrusting his right index finger into Ikkaku's eye socket, followed by grabbing his head and snapping his neck with one swift motion. He then delivered a powerful kick to Ikkaku's ribs, effectively breaking them into pieces. Ikkaku flew backward onto the floor, and lay completely still. His spiritual pressure disappeared, thus signifying his death.

Shocked at how easily he killed the lieutenant with only his bare hands, we turned back toward the scaled man. As I prepared to try my luck against him, a transparent liquid suddenly dropped from the ceiling above. I slowly looked up to find a swirling mass of black limbs protruding from the shadows of the ceiling. A series of high-pitched hisses came from the mass, followed by the flashing of at least a dozen sets of jagged teeth. The scaled man on the floor tore off his mouth-guard, revealing his lizard like face and sharp reptilian teeth.

"Killll…" he hissed. A forked tongue quickly flicked out and back into his mouth.

At his command, the creatures on the ceiling leapt onto the floor, revealing their grotesque forms. They were around 7 feet tall, with skin black as night, had long heads that stretched about a foot backward, long spike tipped tails, and six tube shaped spines of varying lengths on their backs. One of the creatures leapt at Matsumoto, lashing out with its claws. Matsumoto managed to block the blows, but then clutched at her side when the creature thrust its tail at her.

Matsumoto scowled before shouting, "Growl, Haineko!" (ash cat)

At her command, Matsumoto's blade dissolved into a cloud of ash that flung itself at the hideous creature. Unable to realize the true nature of the ash, the creature attempted to run through it and continue attacking, causing it to be cut to bits upon entering the cloud. Yellow blood exploded from the creature as it was cut, and some of the liquid splattered directly onto Matsumoto's face and chest. Suddenly, the areas splattered with blood began to hiss, and steam rose up. Matsumoto shrieked in pain and began gripping at her splattered areas. I quickly turned to the pair of creatures in front of me and prepared for their attack.

"Inoue! With me! Matsumoto needs your help!" I ordered.

I didn't have time to see if she heard me, because the creatures leapt towards me, claws and teeth flashing. I sidestepped out of the path of one and swung at its neck. As its head flew from its shoulders, I made sure not to get covered in its blood. I blocked a lunge from the second creature, but was pinned against the floor in the process, with my sword the only thing between me and a quick and painful death. As I struggled to get it off, it leaned its head down, putting its eyeless face close to mine. It opened its mouth as if to bite me, but I soon realized its intention. Inside its mouth, in place of a tongue, was a smaller second mouth that opened wide. I tilted my head to the side just in time as the second mouth shot out and bit the air beside me. Before it could try to bite again, I pointed a finger at its chest.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!" (white lightning) I yelled.

A bolt of lightning shot out of my finger, blowing a hole in the creature's chest. I rolled over as its rapidly bleeding corpse collapsed to the floor. Quickly getting to my feet, I ran over to where Matsumoto lay motionless. I rolled her over to see how badly she was hurt, and nearly puked when I saw her face. All the flesh on her face and chest had melted away, leaving nothing but blisters and decaying bones. I stepped back out of shock and bumped right into something. I turned around to see Inoue standing there with her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide with horror.

"See what you can do." I said, swallowing a wave of vomit back down my throat.

Inoue nodded as I went back to help the others deal with the rest of the creatures. There were nine of the creatures left, and while captain Soi Fon fought with the scaled green man, three of the creatures were simultaneously striking at Renji. I got to his side just in time to prevent a creature from impaling him with its tail.

"How is Matsumoto?" Renji asked as he dodged another strike.

"Dead. No doubt about it. That blood melted her face and chest down to the bone." I replied, taking a swing at a nearby creature.

"Dammit, there'll be none of us left at this rate!" Renji slashed one across the chest.

I took out another with a slash at its head. The last of the three was about to lunge, when a huge sword cut it vertically in half. Ichigo stood behind the dead creature, claw marks stretching across his chest. We looked around the room. There were no more of the creatures, it was over.

"Damn you!" we heard Yoruichi yell from a corner of the room.

We looked over to see her holding the now badly bruised scaled man by his throat up against a wall. Soi Fon lay nearby, blood and green liquid flowing out of a fist-sized hole in her stomach. _A captain as well? Who are these people, and why are they so determined to kill us?_ I wondered.

As if speaking for me, Yoruichi relaxed her grip enough so that the man would be able to speak. "All right bastard, who the hell are you?" she asked angrily.

"Rep…tile…" the man wheezed.

"Okay, 'Reptile', who sent you after us and why?"

"Pale…person…name-RAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Reptile was suddenly engulfed in blue flames, and within moments was reduced to a pile of ashes on the floor. Yoruichi stared at the ashes for a moment before pounding a fist on the wall.

"Dammit!"

Inoue walked in just then, having heard Reptile's scream of agony. I asked her about Matsumoto, and she sadly shook her head. Myself included, there were now only five soul reapers left.

"Kurosaki, I suggest you be on your way." Urahara said grimly.

"You're not coming?" Ichigo asked.

"No. Someone has to stay to make sure this…" he gestured to the dead bodies, "…doesn't happen again. Yoruichi and I will stay."

"I will stay as well." said Chad.

"You too, Chad?"

"They will need my help, just as you will need Inoue's. Go Ichigo, find your friend and put a stop to this madness."

We said our goodbyes before heading for the riverbank. The crack was still there, only it looked as if it had grown since the last time we saw it.

"Everyone ready?" Ichigo asked.

We all nodded in response. Nodding back at us, Ichigo turned to face the crack. With a deep breath, we all jumped in.

* * *

We arrived on the other side in a matter of seconds. I looked around at our new surroundings. We were in the courtyard of what looked like a school built at the base of a mountain. A short flight of stairs lead up to what looked like the main building.

"Where are we?" asked Renji.

"There's a sign over there that says 'Fuuka Academy'." I pointed out.

"This place feels familiar somehow…" said Ichigo.

Just as he finished talking, glowing spike shaped projectiles flew past me. We turned to see a group of 8ft tall ape-like armored creatures with strange firearms glaring at us. More suddenly appeared from behind trees and small structures. We were completely surrounded. Before I could think of a plan, I heard what sounded like spinning metal. In the next instant, a hail of bullets came flying from the top of the stairs, killing some of the monsters. I turned toward the source of the bullets, and saw a young woman with short silver hair and pink eyes wearing a scarlet combat dress. Her right arm had been replaced with a tri-barreled mini-gun. More of the ape monsters soon arrived to try and deal with the new threat.

"MIROKU!" a voice suddenly called out.

Giant black blades suddenly sprouted up from the ground around us, skewering the monsters.

"I know that voice…" Ichigo said, turning towards the source of the sound.

There, standing on the branch of a nearby tree, was a girl who looked about 16 wearing a high school uniform, with short black hair tied into two braided pigtails and a pitch-black claymore in her hand. She gazed at us with yellow cat like eyes, similar to Yoruichi's. For some reason, I felt like I'd seen her before, only she was smaller.

"Mikoto? Mikoto Minagi? Is that you?" Ichigo asked.

The girl smiled as she leapt down from her perch onto the ground in front of us.

"You bet it is! It's good to see you again, Ichigo!" Mikoto happily proclaimed.

Now it hit me. This was Mikoto Minagi, a powerful girl called a HiME who wielded a type of weapon called 'element', similar to a soul reaper's zanpakuto. Two years ago, she had been Ichigo's partner during the tournament, and they were unstoppable when working together. Ichigo was staring in awe at the girl before him.

Mikoto tilted her head in confusion. "What is it, Ichigo?"

"I'm sorry, its just…you've changed a lot since I last saw you. You're almost as tall as me now. And wait, isn't that Miyu, the android who fought me in the tournament?" he pointed at the silver haired woman. "I thought she was an enemy?"

Mikoto's smile faded. "A lot has changed these past two years, Ichigo. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Ah. I see."

The girl's smile returned. "You and your friends should come with us back to the base. We'll explain everything once you meet Midori and her new 'boyfriend'."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Sword and Rifle**

* * *

**Fuuka Academy-Woods**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

We followed Mikoto and the silver haired woman (_I believe her name was Miyu?_) to a wooded area behind the academy. After about five minutes of walking we reached a clearing, and Mikoto told us we had arrived.

"This is the base you were talking about? But there's nothing here." I said, confused.

Mikoto grinned at me. "Oh, just wait."

Suddenly I heard the sound of several firearms cocking at once, and they sounded very close. My suspicions were confirmed when a group of 7½ feet tall armored creatures with hooves in place of feet and four mandibles instead of regular mouths materialized all around us. I heard the sound of energy crackling and noticed one of the creatures was holding a sword with dual forward pointed blades just about an inch from my throat. The creatures began yelling at us in a language I didn't understand, but it sounded like we weren't very welcome here.

"Oi!" Mikoto yelled, catching the attention of the creatures. "These guys are with me, lower your weapons. Tell the boss it's alright to shut off the cloaking for a minute."

The creatures hesitated for a moment, but surprisingly they did as she said and backed off before slowly vanishing again. The one with the sword shut off his weapon and said something in his (_at least I think it's a he_) helmet before disappearing with the rest. Mikoto turned back to us, who were still surprised at how she was able to order around the group of creatures.

"What the hell were those things?" Renji asked.

"They call themselves Sanghelli, but the rest of us just call them 'Elites'." Mikoto answered simply.

There was a sudden short rumbling sound, and my eyes couldn't believe what happened next. At least a dozen large structures, all oddly shaped and colored with purple metal, materialized out of nowhere in the clearing before us. Mikoto gave us an impish grin and gestured towards the structures.

"Welcome to the base."

We walked past more Elites with various colors and weaponry as we made our way to the building in the center of the clearing, which I assumed must have been a command center. Miyu left us as we entered, claiming her presence was not necessary for our meeting with Midori. Further inside, we entered a large circular room lit only by holographic images displayed on a round center-table. An Elite in white armor missing half his mandibles stood on one side, and a figure that must have been at least 7ft tall stood on the side nearest us, clad in dark green armor and with a wild ponytail of red hair going down their back. Mikoto walked toward the redheaded figure and put her hand on their shoulder.

"Midori, I'm back from my patrol, and I've brought guests. Guess who's with them? It's Ichigo!" Mikoto said happily.

"Ichigo? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time." said the redhead. The voice sounded female, yet slightly masculine.

The figure that must be Midori turned around to look at us. Now I could definitely tell it was a girl, considering the shape her armor took around her body. The woman had green-yellow eyes, and a very relaxed-looking expression.

"Ichigo! Nice to see you again!" Midori said happily. She must have been another competitor from the tournament.

"Same to you Midori, but weren't you at least a foot shorter the last time I saw you?" Ichigo replied.

"Oh, right. I forgot how much taller this armor makes me look. Can I assume this lovely bunch are your friends?"

"Yeah. This is Renji, Inoue, and Rukia."

"I'm Rukia, pleased to meet you, Ms. Midori." I said, extending my hand in greeting.

Midori took my hand and shook it violently up and down. Somehow, my arm was still attached when she let go. "Nice to meet you too, but you don't have to be formal around me, that's just boring."

"Uh, okay. Mikoto said that you and your…boyfriend, could help us?"

"Sure thing! Let me get him for you." Midori turned towards an open doorway. "Ohhhh Arrrrrby-kuuuunnnnnnn!" she called in a singsong voice.

"Sugiura, how many times must I tell you…" came a deep, commanding voice.

I heard the thud of hooves against metal as an Elite clad in a grey, ceremonial looking armor stepped into the room and approached us. I could tell with a single glance that angering him would result in the immediate demise of whoever was stupid enough to annoy him. He stopped just in front of Midori, glaring down at her with yellow reptilian eyes.

"I told you before, Sugiura. You must never…call me that in public." he almost whispered the last part.

"Sorry, must have slipped my mind again." Midori replied, unfazed by his constant death glare.

The grey Elite let out a sigh before his expression relaxed and he turned to us. "Allow me to introduce myself. I, am The Arbiter."

We spent the next few minutes talking about how we ended up here and about our mission to find Strength. The Arbiter took a minute to take all of it in before responding.

"I see…I am sorry for your loss, Kuchiki. I pray that your brother will find peace among the heavens." he said.

I let my gaze drop to the floor. "As do I…"

"Now, regarding your mission, I'm sorry to say I've no way of locating the person you seek. I can however, give you something that may be of use in your quest. Sugiura, if you would lead the way."

"Of course, Thel." Midori replied. "Right this way everyone."

We followed her to a large room. Midori pushed a panel next to the door, and the room lit up. Lining one of the walls were futuristic looking sets of armor, none like Midori's though. There were a few crates containing rifles of various sizes, and one that contained a few bulky armaments that looked like heavy weaponry. There were also grenades scattered around the crates. On the opposite side of the room were several oddly shaped weapons, most likely the Elite's armaments. While the others walked around to investigate the armory, I turned back to the Arbiter.

"What is all this?" I asked.

"When I first found out about the cracks forming in the dimensions, I called in a few…favors. The crates and the suits are human equipment from my time, and the other arms are leftover from our time in the Covenant. In the right hands, these are unstoppable instruments of death."

Then he added, "Mikoto has told me about your 'zanpakuto', and the powers they wield. I am well aware that your swords are your first choice of weaponry, I can relate to that, but there will be foes much like the Brutes you encountered earlier that will shoot you down before you can get within striking distance, and your robes make for poor defense against their weapons. Therefore, take anything you need from this armory."

I glanced back at the wall of alien weapons, and my eyes came to rest on a long violet rifle with pinkish-purple lights stretching along its barrel. Slowly, I removed it from its place. The rifle was surprisingly light for its size, and I could feel the energy flowing through it.

"Are you a sniper?" asked Arbiter, walking up next to me. "If you are, then that would be your ideal weapon. It's called a Beam Rifle."

"Actually, I've never held a gun before. I just thought I'd try it out."

"Well, how about we get you into some armor first? At least then the recoil won't knock you on your back. I'm sure there's one in your size…"

Silently cursing my small height, I followed him over to the suits of armor. Luckily, there was one that would fit me. It took me about five minutes to get into the bodysuit before applying the actual armor. It's a good thing my hair was shorter now, as the helmet was a tight fit. I couldn't help but laugh while Renji contemplated the safety of wearing a helmet over cutting his hair. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see an orange-visored face looking down at me.

"How's it going in there?" Midori's voice rang in my helmet, making me jump. "Relax, I'm just talking to you through the communicator in your helmet. It's the little nub above your ear."

I fumbled for a minute before activating the device. "Is that it? Can you hear me?" I asked.

"Loud and clear. Looks like the others are finished getting their gear on, so why don't we head down to the ra-"

"Enemy movement detected on the south perimeter! They're coming at us again!" a woman's voice suddenly cut in. Gunshots rang out on the COM channel.

"Which squad is this? What kind of firepower are they throwing at us?" Midori asked.

"Who do you think this is, you dolt? They've got a bunch of huge assault vehicles, they look like giant bugs with guns."

I saw The Arbiter's pupils shrink at that. "Those are Scarabs! Get out of there, ground troops are no match for a force like that!"

"Huh, we'll see about th-" the woman's voice disappeared behind static.

"Hello? Are you there? Dammit!" Midori went over to a crate and picked up what looked like a shotgun.

"Looks like you'll have to learn to shoot on your own. We've got to give them a hand out there!"

"Midori, which squad was it?" asked Mikoto, the only one of us not wearing body armor.

"Sounded like it was Duran Squad's leader."

"Wait, isn't Kagutsuchi Squad stationed next to them?" Mikoto sounded very worried all of a sudden.

"I think so, we better hurry!"

I picked up the Beam Rifle from earlier and followed them out of the room. After getting pointed in the direction of the attack, Renji and I split off from the group and flash stepped towards the battlefield.

* * *

When we arrived, I saw Elites, Brutes, and other alien creatures I didn't recognize locked in combat. Standing with the Elites behind a sandbag barrier was a human woman with long raven hair wearing a black and red biker suit and wielding dual pistols. In the distance I saw gigantic insect like machines with cannons mounted on their backs and where a mouth would be. We ran towards the woman just as she ducked behind the sandbag barrier to reload.

"Get down!" she yelled at us.

We ducked just in time to avoid the streams of energy that sailed by.

"Who the hell are you two? And what do you plan on doing with swords in a battle like this?" the woman demanded.

"We're with Mikoto's friend Ichigo, we came to help." I explained.

"So that's what all the chatter was about… Alright then, I'm Natsuki Kruger, Captain of Duran Squad. If you're here to help, start by taking out those damn snipers!"

That meant me, so I cautiously positioned my rifle over the top of the barrier and scanned my surroundings. I noticed the rifle had a scope, so I zoomed in for a better look. I immediately saw a trio of red lights from the top of a nearby building. A bolt of energy flying from one of the lights told me that those were the snipers. I took a deep breath as I positioned my shot, and pulled the trigger. The discharge from the shot slammed into my shoulder, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I looked through the scope again and smiled when I saw an alien body fall from the roof. Steadying myself, I quickly dispatched the other two. I glanced at Renji, who was firing an automatic rifle at the crowd of aliens in front of us.

"Nice job, you two! Keep it up!" Natsuki said between shots.

We managed to keep the forces in front us back until the Scarabs (the giant insect-like transports) were in firing distance. I watched energy get sucked into its central cannon before it unleashed a giant beam of green energy at the troops to our left. Only ashes and scorched earth were left from the blast.

"Dammit! Our regular weapons won't do any good against that thing! I'd call out Duran to help, but Tate is busy helping Kagutsuchi Squad."

While Natsuki tried to come up with a plan, I sensed a sudden rise in an all too familiar spiritual energy. As if confirming my suspicions, a voice suddenly cried out from somewhere to our right.

"Getsugatensho!"

A light blue wave of spirit energy flew at the Scarabs in front of us. A moment later, all the transports that were struck exploded and collapsed.

"What was that?" Natsuki asked.

"Ichigo." I said, proudly.

Suddenly, an enormous torrent of flame sprung up from our right flank, and the head of what looked like the cross between a dragon and a whale snaked through the flame. For some reason, a sword was stuck through the top of the dragon's mouth and out the bottom, yet it did not seem to be in pain.

"Kagutsuchi!" yelled a woman's voice.

The dragon then opened its jaws wide as an enormous glowing orb of flame exploded from its mouth and into the next few Scarabs, destroying them on impact.

"What was that?" Renji asked.

"Mai." replied Natsuki.

"Rukia, Renji, you guys hear me?" came Ichigo's voice on the COM.

"Yes Ichigo, we're here. Are you having fun showing off?" I said.

"Hehe, you know it! If we keep at it like this, we'll push them back in no time!"

No sooner had Ichigo spoken, when a huge shadow suddenly fell over the battlefield. I looked up to find myself staring at what looked like a giant oval shaped spaceship floating about a mile and a half above the ground. A light began to shine in the center of the spacecraft, and before we could react a giant beam of energy erupted from the spot towards our position. I closed my eyes as the blast drew near, waiting to join my brother and friends in the next life. I heard the explosion of impact, but felt nothing._ Was I incinerated so quickly I hadn't felt anything?_ I reopened my eyes to see a giant orange triangle spread over us in the air.

"I made it…thank goodness…" came the relieved sound of Inoue's voice over the COM.

The shield cracked and disappeared. "Everyone, I don't think I can stop another one…you'll have to do something about that ship."

"How? It's too far away for me, Renji or Mai to reach with our attacks." Ichigo noted. "Which means…"

By this time I was already positioning myself at what I thought would be the best point of attack. Satisfied with the spot I had chosen, I quickly drew my sword.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" (sleeve of white snow) I commanded.

My zanpakuto became a beautiful pure white, with a ribbon trailing from its hilt. "Sode no Mai, Tsuki Shiro!" (first dance, white moon)

At my command, the imprint of a white moon appeared beneath my feet. I jumped back as a pillar of light rose with lightning speed until it forced itself through the ship above us. I swung my sword to my side, freezing the pillar and everything inside it.

"Ichigo, its all yours." I said, sheathing my sword.

"Thanks, Rukia. Getsugatensho!" his voice shouted through my helmet.

I watched the wave of energy slam into my pillar of ice, shattering it apart and destroying the massive spacecraft it contained. After taking off my helmet for a breath of fresh air, I bent over and picked up my rifle from where I had dropped it.

"We're heading back to the base now." Midori's voice commanded.

"Got it, I'll be right-" I stopped when I felt an unfamiliar presence approaching.

I turned and drew my sword just in time to block a blow from the newcomer. I now stood next to a tall, thin woman with long lavender hair wearing a mask over her eyes and a black and purple skirt, pants, boots, and arm guards. A red marking of some kind was drawn on her forehead, and she held a pair of short spikes with long chains connecting them in her hands.

"Rukia? What's going on?" came Renji's voice into the communicator in my ear.

"I'll have to get back to you, I've got company!" I said, still looking at the woman on the other side of my blade. "Who are you?"

"You may call me Rider." the woman replied.

We both leapt back to get away from each other. I kept my sword raised, and she took a somewhat animal like stance, bent over with her blades in either hand.

"Why are you attacking me? Are you with those responsible for the destruction of my home?"

"I am. I came here to dispose of you."

"Why?"

"I have a feeling you could become a very dangerous threat to me and my new master."

"That doesn't make any sense! The others are much stronger than I am!" I hurt a bit to admit the truth, but I needed an answer.

"It is only a feeling, but I want to find out for myself." she lunged at me without another word.

I blocked the strike and countered with one of my own. Rider nimbly ducked under my sword and thrust upwards at my face. I leaned back in time to avoid getting my eyes gouged out. Just as she tried to retreat, I took a horizontal cut at her waist. She leapt back with only a scratch. Rider then jumped in the air and threw one of her spikes forward. I easily dodged the attack, but realized too late that she had lead me into the path of her next blow. I flew back as her feet slammed into me, dropping my sword in the process. She ran over to me, going for the kill. As she lunged, I quickly reached behind my back, pulled my rifle in front of me, and fired. Rider let out a painful yelp as she flew back, clutching at the hole I just made in her shoulder.

"Gh, not bad. However, it seems I will have to try and determine your fate another time." Rider said.

I quickly retrieved my sword from where it lay, but when I looked back Rider was already gone. Hearing footsteps behind me, I tuned around to see Ichigo and the others coming towards me.

"Rukia! Are you alright?" Ichigo asked, worry all over his face.

I was about to respond, when a sudden rumbling surged through the ground around us and I felt the ground leave my feet. I heard Ichigo cry out my name as I fell through the crack that had just opened beneath me.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Veterans of Sorrow**

* * *

**Fuyuki City, around the same time…**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

I couldn't help but frown as I took in the scene laid before me and my companions. We had been traveling the Otherworld for just over a day (or what felt like a day, it was impossible to tell time there) when Mato had discovered a crack, much like the one that allowed us access to the human world, but a little bigger. Continuing with my idea of gathering more heroes to try and take back our world, we jumped through the crack and into the world on the other side. When we made it through, I recognized the city before us as Fuyuki City, a place I had visited before via the subconscious of an ally from the past. But what caused me to frown was the fact that the city was in a similar condition to the human world of our dimension, except instead of an army, it was under attack by an enormous red dragon with four wings and terrifying yellow eyes.

The beast let out a deep, powerful roar before spewing a river of fire onto the city below. While I was trying to think of way to defeat the beast, I sensed a familiar presence rapidly approaching. I turned around to see a blonde woman in armor carrying a sword running towards me, relief and confusion evident on her face.

"Strength? Is that you?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, it's been awhile, Saber." I answered.

"Indeed. I see you have brought your friends with you," then she whispered, "I trust they are more cooperative than when we last met?" she gestured towards Mato and Saya.

I understood her question. "Yes, they are now fused with their human selves, so you don't have to worry about any more battles from them."

"Hi Saber!" Mato said happily.

"I see what you mean. Your timing couldn't have been better, as you can see we have a bit of trouble on our hands."

The dragon roared again as it continued to fly over the city.

"Indeed." I responded.

"I was warned that another war was on its way, but none of my preparation covered slaying a dragon. I am afraid that I cannot defeat this foe alone, so I request the aid of you and your allies."

"Of course, Saber. I owe you at least this much."

"You can count on us!" Mato proclaimed.

Saya and Yomi nodded in agreement. I quickly looked over our group and thought up a plan.

"Alright, I'm no dragon expert, but I think our best bet would be to aim for his eyes or his underbelly. Those should be his weak spots. Mato, you and I will get somewhere high and use our guns on him, we'll try to make him land. Yomi, after he lands use your chains to keep him down. Once he's pinned, Saber and Saya will be able to strike at him with their swords. If we do this right, we may have a chance. Everyone got it?"

"Yes!" they all replied.

"Okay, let's go!"

Mato and I were soon standing on top of a nearby school, with her cannon drawn and my glove's fingers converted to mini-guns. Yomi was waiting on the ground below, and Saya and Saber took off for somewhere where they could get a better vantage point over the city. I saw the dragon coming towards us and turned to Mato.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah, a little nervous but yeah." she answered.

"Don't worry, if something happens Yomi and I are here to help you."

She blushed slightly at the mention of the green-eyed girl. "Okay."

"Here he comes, let him have it!"

Mato and I opened fire on the giant dragon. He looked down at us as bullets whizzed by his head, and roared in pain when they tore into the soft flesh of his wings. It was nearly impossible to miss him since he was so large, and soon enough his great wings were riddled with holes. The dragon roared again as he came crashing into the earth, just a little ways away from the school. He raised his head and glared at us with his yellow eyes. He opened his jaws again and bellowed with anger:

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU MORTALS SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MY WINGS! I, THE DEMON DRAGON SHOOTING STAR, WILL ANNIHILATE THIS CITY! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR ARROGANCE!"

"It talks?!" Mato said.

Shooting Star belched out a monstrous fireball at us in his rage. We dodged just as the building was reduced to a giant pile of ash. We started running around the big dragon, firing relentlessly to get his attention.

"Yomi, now!" I yelled.

As if in response, a large number of chains burst from the ground and began to weave themselves around Shooting Star. The dragon slumped to the ground in surprise as the chains tightened their grip.

"WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS? RELEASE ME!" he demanded.

"Hurry! I don't think I can hold him for long!" Yomi said as Shooting Star struggled against his bounds.

"Saber, Saya, now's your chance!" I yelled.

The two sword wielders sprang from a nearby alley and ran towards the dragon. They quickly climbed onto his back and began to make their way to his head, slashing at his neck as they went. Realizing the danger approaching him, Shooting Star suddenly reared up his head, nearly flinging Saya and Saber off.

"NO! I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY MERE MORTALS! NOT AGAIN!" the dragon screamed as he thrashed about.

Saya took hold of one of the scales on his neck and swung down, hanging below his unarmored flesh. With a powerful thrust, she plunged her sword into the dragon's throat, causing a sudden stream of blood to flee his body. Saber was now on top of his head. I watched her raise her arms above her head, sword pointed downward. With a yell she drove her blade into soft flesh, and the dragon suddenly fell silent as his eyes went wide. With a final cry forced roar, Shooting Star collapsed onto the earth, and was still. Saber and Saya retrieved their blades and stood beside us, admiring our handiwork.

"Well done, all of you. I doubt I would have been able to even scratch him." said Saber.

As soon as she finished talking, Shooting Star's corpse was suddenly engulfed in a blue inferno. We all watched in surprise and confusion as the massive body quickly turned to ash before the flames disappeared entirely.

"What was that?" asked Yomi.

"I'm not sure, but it happened when we defeated Phalanx as well." I said.

"Phalanx?"

"Perhaps you can explain on the way to Shirou's house. We should be safe there now that the threat has been disposed of." Saber proposed.

"I like the sound of that." I said in agreement.

As we walked down the street, Saber told us about how she had been warned by Rex Owen, her old partner from the tournament, around six months prior to Shooting Star's attack, and how she had been preparing for another event like the tournament. I brought her up to speed on the situation in my universe and our encounter with the mysterious Phalanx.

"I see, so perhaps the one who sent Phalanx must have killed him in order to hide their identity." Saber noted once I had finished.

I nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. The same person must have sent Shooting Star to this world."

"I agree. It looks like we're here."

We were now standing in the yard of a relatively large and well-kept house, with a sign reading 'Emiya' out front. Smiling, Saber lead us onto the front porch and opened the door.

"Shirou, Rin, I've returned. I brought friends who-"

Saber stopped after taking a few steps inside the house. I walked up alongside her to see what was wrong, and was rewarded with a gruesome sight. Lying in the center of the main hall, surrounded by broken furniture and bloodstains, was a girl dressed in a red shirt and black skirt with black hair tied into two ponytails. The girl had a large slash across her torso, and blood was trickling down her head, most likely from being slammed into the floor. Saber quickly rushed over to the girl.

"Rin! Rin, wake up!" Saber pleaded.

The girl partially opened one eye in response. "Saber…" she said weakly.

"Rin, what happened?"

"Man…white armor…came…(cough) out of nowhere…attacked me… and Emiya…"

"Where is Shirou?"

"Outside…fighting…man…dojo…I think…"

"Dammit! One of you, help her up. I'm going to go help Shirou!"

"Saber, wait!" I tried.

It was no use, Saber was already bolting out the door without a second thought. I chased after her, and soon both of us were in front of the dojo. Just before we went in, we heard the pain-filled cry of what sounded like a young man come from inside the building. Before I could react, Saber thrust open the doors and gazed with horror at the scene within.

"Shirou!" she cried before running inside.

I ran in after her to see her kneeling down, cradling a young man with reddish brown hair in her arms. That man could only be Shirou. I moved to try to comfort Saber, but suddenly a gigantic gear-shaped axe was thrust in front of me.

"Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise?" said a voice I hoped I would never hear again.

I turned, praying I would not see the speaker I had imagined. But fate was against me, and standing beside me was a pale man with short white hair wearing white armor. His eyes had grey, ringed irisis, the sign of an otherworlder.

I felt myself start to shiver as I spoke his name. "White Steel Wrath..."

The man grinned wickedly. "You remember me, good. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten."

I swatted his axe away from me and stood between him and Saber. "How the hell are you alive? I saw you die!"

"True, I was destroyed by the champions of my tournament. The poor bitch crying over her lost love over there can attest to that." he pointed to Saber.

"Bastard..." I heard Saber mutter.

"What?"

"You bastard! Why did you kill Shirou? He had nothing to do with this!"

"Why? Because you loved him, and I want revenge. That good enough for you?"

"So, I can assume you're behind all this?" I asked, getting angrier with each word he said.

"Unfortunately, I'm not the one calling the shots this time. It's not _my_ game."

"What..."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

Steel Wrath raised his axe high, and brought it down in a deadly arc, splitting the floor in half. A dimensional crack began to grow from where he split the floor, too fast for either me or Saber to avoid falling in.

"So long, Strength. I'm sure we'll meet again. Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

His laugh was the last thing I heard as we left that world behind.

* * *

Saber and I came out falling on the other side of the crack. I grabbed Saber as the ground came close, and reached out with my other hand towards the ground. I felt the force of impact rebound through my arm as my hand reached the ground. Once again, if I was a human my arm would've broken into tiny little pieces, but having a giant metal glove to break your fall certainly helps prevent that. I gently set Saber down as I got a look at our new surroundings. We were in a city again, but this one didn't look to be under attack. Feeling that we were safe for the moment, I went over to Saber. She was still kneeling on the ground, clutching her sword very tightly.

"Saber..." I began. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry we didn't get to Shirou in time."

Saber didn't respond.

"I know he meant a lot to you, but we have to go now. The others may have landed here as well, and they may have Rin with them." I knelt down and gently rested one of my hands on her shoulder. "Please, Saber."

She tilted her head my way for a moment, then quickly turned away again. Standing up, she quickly ran a hand over her face before turning around to face me.

"Okay. Let's go." she said.

She walked past me without meeting my eyes, most likely to hide the signs that she had been crying. I got up and caught up to her as we made our way through the streets of this new city. After walking for about five minutes, some familiar faces appeared from behind an alley. Noticing us, they immediately ran to meet us.

"Strength! We've got some problems!" Saya said urgently.

"What is it?"

"We managed to patch up Rin as best we could, but if she doesn't get to a doctor soon I doubt she'll make it."

Yomi, who was carrying Rin, laid down the wounded girl in front of us. Her scar was bandaged, but she was starting to turn pale and and her breathing was irregular.

"I see what you mean, we should find someone with professional medical experience. Doesn't this city have a hospital?"

"That's the other problem," Yomi began, "we found a medical center, but couldn't reach it."

"Why not? Wait...don't tell me-"

"The city is under attack, and there's an army of monsters with swords and axes and the like all over the area. Since we couldn't fight and protect Rin at the same time, we came looking for you." Yomi confirmed my suspicions.

"Not a moments rest...alright, you three see if you can find an approachable building, Saber and I will take Rin and do the same."

"But how can you carry her and fight at the same time?"

I gently wrapped my tail around Rin, pulling her close to my back. "Like this."

"Strength, where should we meet up when we do find help?" Saya asked.

I looked around to find a good landmark. "There!" I said, pointing to an oddly shaped building on the top of a hill.

"Alright, we'll meet you there. Good luck, and stay safe, Strength."

"You too, Saya."

With that, we split up again. Saber and I took off down a side street, only to run into a small party of monsters, some of which resembled knights. With my fists and Saber's sword, we made short work of them in no time. We continued on like this for some time until we came to the gates of what looked like a castle in the center of the city. I noticed there were even more creatures and knights here than anywhere else.

"That must be the main force." Saber observed. "It would make sense to send the bulk of your army at the opponents capital, that way you can overtake them faster."

"Do you think the leader of those things is here as well?" I asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it. There's probably an infirmary in there as well, perhaps we should aid in the defense?"

I nodded in agreement, then glanced back at the girl on my back. "Hang in there Rin, just a little longer now."

Saber and I burst through the gates of the castle, cutting and smashing every enemy in sight. As we neared the end of the courtyard, Saber suddenly turned around and stopped.

"What are you doing?"

"There is a good chance that more will be on their way here soon. I will stay and hold them, get Rin to safety."

"Alright, be careful Saber."

The female knight nodded in response, and I quickly entered the castle. As I searched for an infirmary, a sudden loud clanging sound reached my ears. I ran to the source of the sound, and soon found myself in a large garden. Glancing around, my attention soon became fixed on a pair of figures on the opposite end of the garden. One was a man completely covered by gold and black armor, the other was a tall woman with orange eyes and short black hair wearing an azure dress. The woman clutched a knife in one hand, and held a toddler close behind her with the other.

"Well now, what have we here?" said the knight. His voice sounded almost robotic through his helmet.

"How dare you invade our home! Get out!" replied the woman in a stern, motherly tone. "Get out of our city!"

"My, such a lovely girl, and feisty at that. Perhaps I'll keep you." the knight reached toward the woman.

"Back off!" she slapped his hand away with her knife.

"Tch, you mortal whore! You'll pay for that!"

The knight raised his hand, and suddenly an ornate longsword appeared in it.

"Hey!" I yelled, running toward him as he prepared to strike.

Either he didn't hear me or didn't care, because he swung anyway.

"Stop!"

_CLANG!_

I stopped as I noticed someone new had joined the conflict. Standing between the gold and black knight and the woman, was a man with shoulder length blonde hair and light green eyes dressed in shining silver armor. He held a massive sword that appeared to be comprised entirely of crystals, with a glowing blue orb in the center of its hand guard, which he was using to block the other knight's sword.

"You will not lay a hand on her, bastard." said the blonde knight.

"Who dares come between the God King and his prey?" demanded the other knight, the 'God King' apparently.

"I am Siegfried Schtauffen, and I will not let you harm this woman."

"Fool! You will perish for getting in my way!"

The God King summoned a shield to his empty hand, and proceeded to lash out in deadly arcs at his foe. Siegfried dodged or blocked every blow that came his way. The God King let out a cry of rage as he made a powerful strike at Siegfried's head, only to have the blow deflected. Now it was Siegfried's turn to attack, and he did so with grace and power. The God King struggled against the giant sword his opponent swung so freely, and within moments he was pressed against the wall of the garden. With a powerful yell, Siegfried swung at the God King's side, smacking him with the flat (or something close to the flat) of his blade. His opponent was sent flying towards me, dropping his sword and shield as he landed with a thud at my feet.

"Oh no you don't!" I said as I slammed the God King into the ground when he tried to rise.

Siegfried turned his attention towards me. "Who are you?"

"I am Strength, competitor. You need not fear me, I am not your enemy."

"Competitor? Ah, so you know about the tournament then."

"I do, your opponent was a competitor as well. Uh, it seems that girl wishes to speak with you."

The woman had been staring at Siegfried in shock since he arrived. When Siegfried turned back to face her, his expression became one of deep guilt, and he immediately turned his back to her.

"Siegfried...is it really you?" the woman asked. She held her toddler close.

"It is. Its been...a long time...Kaia." Siegfried answered slowly.

It seemed to me that something painful had occurred between the two, but I couldn't figure out what exactly.

"That child...is he yours?" Siegfried asked, still facing away from Kaia.

"He is."

"I see. What is his name?"

"Artherion..."

"That's a nice-"

"Artherion Schtauffen de Windbloom."

Now it hit me. And judging by the look of immense guilt on Siegfried's face, it hit him even harder. His look softened when he realized the toddler, who had black hair and light green eyes, was tugging on his cloak.

"Are you my daddy?" the boy asked innocently.

Siegfried froze.

"Mommy said daddy was a great swordsman and had eyes like mine. Are you daddy?"

Before Siegfried or Kaia could answer, a woman with long silver-lavender hair and pale blue eyes wearing a red cloak emerged from a doorway and rushed over to the group. She shot Siegfried an angry look, followed by her drawing a katana from under her cloak.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here you son of a bitch?" the woman in red asked.

"Notokishi, wait-" Kaia tried.

"Get back, Kaia! I'm not letting this bastard touch you again!" the woman in red turned to Siegfried. "Do you have any idea what you did to my little sister? Do you know how much shame and humiliation she suffered because of you?"

"Notokishi, there's someone else you should be concerned with!"

"Who?"

Kaia pointed toward me. Notokishi followed the finger and fixed her eyes on me.

"Who are you? Are you with this bastard?"

Before I could answer, I suddenly felt the weight of a short person in armor drop on top of me. Next thing I knew, I was out cold.

* * *

**A/N:** DarkNovelist here. If you want to know the full relationship between Kaia and Siegfried, read Advent of Black Souls, my second fic. I may just be paranoid, but I'm a little anxious when writing these fics because i hardly ever get any reviews. Am I doing a good job? Is there something I should fix? That kind of stuff. So I would appreciate it if you would review more often in the future, just to let me know if it's to everyone's liking. Till next time! DarkNovelist out.

PS: Kaia, Artherion, Notokishi, and White Steel Wrath are all OC's. They do not exist outside my works.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Those who Command the Darkness**

* * *

**Key: **"voice" = regular speech, **"voice" = internal/spirit voice**

* * *

**Unknown Location, around 2 days later…**

* * *

_**Unknown**_

* * *

It was quiet. I was lounging lazily with a glass of wine in my hand and my rear planted on a comfy chair in a room overlooking—well, just about everything considering the current state of the multiverse. Through my half-mask I watched as a dimensional crack reached skyscraper-sized proportions before finally receding to a thin slit and disappearing altogether. When it vanished, two completely different worlds sat beside each other: one with grassy green fields and a castle in the distance, the other an urban city with tall buildings and flashing lights.

"**It's finally beginning. The worlds are starting to merge."** said a man's voice from somewhere in my mind.

"About time." I said simply.

"**My dream is finally starting to come true…"**

"Hey, don't forget about our deal. You won't fully get your wish until I get mine."

"**Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to be such a winy bitch about it."**

"Whatever asshole."

I heard footsteps approaching my door.

"**Sounds like he's back."**

I heard a knock. "Come in, Wrath."

The white haired man opened and closed the door before walking over to me and kneeling down.

"I have returned, master." he said, a hint of frustration in his tone.

"Oh stand up. If there's one thing I hate, it's groveling. There's more than enough ass-kissery here as it is."

"As you wish." he stood up and walked over to the balcony beside me, staring into space. He never bothered to look over and face me.

"So, did you have fun on your little trip down vengeance lane?" I asked, taking a sip of my wine.

"Yes. One of the champions who slew me is now heartbroken over her recently departed lover."

"And did you open the rift like I asked?"

"Of course."

"Good." I took another sip.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" he was now glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Not when _he's_ with me."

His gaze returned to the distant horizon. "I suppose that would make sense, considering who _he_ is."

I downed the rest of my glass before continuing. "One of my scouts has told me that Strength was there, along with three other girls of otherworld appearance. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"Then am I correct in assuming that a certain girl with sapphire eyes was among them?"

He hesitated a second before answering. "Most likely, but I didn't see any of them besides Strength. She probably fell into the rift I made along with the others. She could be anywhere by-"

A swift smack from my tail was all it took to embed him in the wall behind me. I quickly got up, too angry to notice that I knocked over the chair. I walked over to where Steel Wrath was stuck, and reached up to pull his chin down so he would have to look me in the eye.

I started my lecture with, "I shouldn't have to explain to you how important it is that you bring me that girl!"

Groaning from the pain, Wrath managed to gather the strength to back sass me. "Maybe you should remind me? And while you're at it, explain to me why I have to take orders from a 17 year old-"

My fist in his gut ended stopped his words.

"Don't give me that shit!" I continued. "I hope you haven't forgotten, b**ut if it weren't for me, you would still be rotting in Gehenna! I gave you life, and I can just as easily take it away from you!" **I was so mad that the voice within me mixed with my own. **"So think before you cross me next time! Understand, you worthless piece of crap?"**

The change in my voice had caused Steel Wrath's eyes to widen in fear, something most otherworlder's never experienced. He only managed to nod in response.

"**Good, a**nd don't you forget it."

I yanked him out of the wall and tossed him over to the door. "Now get out of my sight, and tell one of my servants to bring me some more wine."

He nodded again before quickly leaving the room, closing the door with a loud bang in his hurry. I sighed and picked my chair back up before sitting down again.

"**Daaaaaaaaamn, somebody's got a temper!"**

"Don't even start with me."

"**Fine, yeesh. Although, I agree with that guy's question: why is this girl so important to you?"**

I gazed out over the far reaches of the Otherworld below. I took a deep breath as I recounted the events leading up to my current situation.

"It's not like you could ever understand. You've never had someone else take the one you desire."

"**Heh, as it turns out, I do know how that feels. Hurts like a bitch."**

That was not the answer I had expected. "You? Really?"

"**Yep. It all started when-"**

"Master! I have urgent news for you!" shouted one of my servants, interrupting the voice.

I turned back toward the door. A woman with long lavender hair and an eyeless mask was standing in the doorway.

"Yes Rider? What is it?" I asked.

"It seems Raidriar has been captured by our enemies."

"(sigh) I really need better minions. All right, if he talks, I'll roast him. Anything else, Rider?"

"Yes. A hologram of an armored man appeared before me and some of the others, and said he was coming here in a few hours."

**("Ah, so he got my invitation then. Good.")**

"Don't worry, he's expected. Inform me when he gets here, and be sure to send the wine to my private quarters. I shall wait there until he arrives."

"Yes, my master. Shall I accompany you to your room?"

"(sigh) if you insist."

We made our way through the halls of my fortress, occasionally exchanging greetings with some of my soldiers who happened to be roaming the halls at the time. Soon we arrived at the door to my quarters.

"I will leave you now." Rider said. Just as she turned to leave, something on her caught my attention.

"Rider, wait a moment. What's wrong with your shoulder?" I asked.

I saw her tense up in hesitation. "I…was injured during my last duel. It is nothing."

"The flesh around your shoulder is seared. What did this to you?"

"I was shot by a strange energy-projectile weapon. It will heal soon."

"I should hope so, or I may have to find a new scout. See to it that this doesn't happen again."

"Y-yes master."

Satisfied, I opened the door part way. "Oh and Rider,"

"Yes?"

"Make sure whoever comes to get me knocks first. I will mostly likely be…occupied." I smiled at the thought of what I planned to do.

Rider nodded in understanding before leaving. Chuckling slightly to myself, I closed the door and made my way down the short staircase leading to my room.

* * *

At the base of the stairs, I gently opened the door to my chambers before quietly stepping inside and closing the door. I looked over the room before me: the walls were made out of the same pure white crystal that comprised the rest of my fortress, with a balcony looking out at the multiverse with a table and two chairs sat at the far end of the room. A wardrobe sat to my left, and on my right was a queen-size bed with smooth-as-silk white sheets and pillows. I smiled as my gaze fell upon my goal, and that was the girl with long wild golden hair sleeping soundly on my bed.

"Not one word from you, got it?" I said mentally.

"**Oh, I see what you're planning to do here. Yeah sure, I'll just shut up and enjoy the show. Hehehehehehehe!"** the inner voice responded.

I walked over to the bed and gently sat down on the edge, next to the girl. I leaned over her, putting my mouth near her ear.

"Wake up, Kagari." I spoke softly.

The girl stirred for a moment before opening her yellow eyes. She looked around the room in confusion, then settled her attention on me.

"Wh-who are you? Where am I?" Kagari said.

"I am a friend, and you are in my palace."

"How did Kagari get here?" It was amazing how gullible this girl had become.

"You fell asleep after walking for quite some time. You were all alone when I found you, but you're safe now."

"Where are my friends? Where is Yomi?"

This was the question I was waiting for. "I'll bet that wherever Yomi is, she's with Mato."

"With…Mato?"

"Don't you remember? They're in love with each other."

"Yomi…loves Mato?" the hurt in her voice was easily noticeable.

I nodded. "Oh yes, very much so. In fact, they're probably fucking each other's brains out right now."

"No!" Kagari sat up and looked at me in absolute horror and depression.

"Why does it matter to you? I thought you didn't love Yomi anymore."

"I…I…"

"Well, which is it? What are your true feelings, Kagari?"

Kagari's eyes became half open, her depression now turned to lust and cruelty. "Kagari…loves Yomi." she said sternly.

"I thought so. Are you going to let Mato keep her, now that you've realized your true feelings?"

"…No. Yomi belongs to me. Only I can love Yomi."

I couldn't help but smile at my handiwork. With just a few words, I had caused this girl to revert back to her old, darker personality. Now it was time to get what I came here for.

"Kagari, what if I told you there was a way you could take back Yomi?"

"There is?"

"Yes. I can make you strong. So strong that you will be able to tear Mato away from your precious love with a minimum of effort."

"…then Kagari will become strong, and Yomi will be mine again."

"Indeed. But, if I do give you power, you must do something for me."

"What?"

"I want you to bring me Mato once you've beaten her. I'll make sure she has all the love she needs while you can have Yomi all to yourself."

"Okay."

"But there is one other thing you must do…"

"What? What is it?"

I grinned as I put my hands on her shoulders and pinned her to the bed. "You see, I'm very lonely here in my palace. Since the one I long for is not yet by my side, I must find someone else to share my love with…"

Kagari trembled slightly as I slowly began to unbutton her school uniform. "So, what do you say? Will you lie with me, in order to get your Yomi back?"

The golden haired girl stared straight into my eyes, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally nodded. "Anything for Yomi. Kagari will endure it."

"Hmhm, good. Don't worry, I promise I'll be gentle."

With that, I took off my mask and lowered my lips onto hers, and soon the room was filled with erotic moaning and gasping.

* * *

Sometime later, a knock came at my door.

"Master, your guest has arrived." Rider's muffled voice came through the door.

I licked my fingers clean of fluids before responding. "Perfect timing, I'll be out in a few."

Sliding off my bed, I put my mask back on, and quickly dawned a coat and sweat pants from my wardrobe. Just before leaving the room, I glanced over at Kagari one last time. She now lay completely nude, passed out with a deep blush on her face.

"You were splendid, Kagari. I'll make sure to keep my promise when I return. See you later."

I exited my room and Rider lead me to the chapel on the far end of my fortress, where she said my guest was waiting. I told her to wait outside just before going in. Inside the massive room, a man in Tron-like armor stood at the far end, staring up at a glass window.

"This is an odd place for us to meet, don't you think?" I started.

"I could ask the same of you, Lord of Gehenna." the armored man replied.

"Sorry, but the only one you'll be talking to is me, Trotejy."

Now the man looked at me. I could sense some confusion behind his hidden face. "You're Satan's new host? A child?"

"I'm 17, asshole."

"You certainly don't look it. Why did you call me out here?"

"The big guy wanted to make sure a couple of things were clear between us."

"Very well, go ahead."

"First, we'd like to make sure you know that we don't trust you for shit."

"Obviously."

"While we don't trust you, we also want to get rid of any petty rivalries between us. We won't get in the way of your goals, you won't get in the way of ours, that sort of thing."

"Of course."

"In addition, you are free to use any of our minions as you see fit, if they can be of any help."

"Thanks, but I've already got enough idiots to deal with. Anything else?"

"Yes, should any of your soldiers happen to come across a girl with black hair and sapphire eyes, they are to bring her directly to me."

"An odd request, but fine. That it?"

"That's it. Before you leave, wait just a moment." I turned toward the door on the other side of the room. "Scorpion! Raphael!"

Two figures entered the room. One was a yellow and black ninja, the other a blonde French nobleman.

I turned back to Trotejy. "These two will keep an eye on you for me. Just a little insurance."

"Whatever. I'm sure I can find something for them to do."

"Now we are finished. You may leave."

"Finally." Trotejy turned around to leave, but stopped for a moment. "By the way, what shall I call you, other than 'host'?"

I felt a wicked smile break out on my face as I answered.

"You can call me…**Fury**."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Gathering of Heroes**

* * *

**Garderobe Academy, Windbloom, at the same time…**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

In all the time I had spent in the human world, never once had I experienced the phenomenon known as a dream. When I closed my eyes and slept, I was never transported to any blissful fantasies or delusions, I had always kept my mind blank in anticipation of the next battle. So I was quite surprised when I found myself standing in complete and utter darkness, alone and unarmed. Suddenly, a faint light began to shine somewhere in the blackness. Curious, I walked toward it. I realized when I was about five feet away that the source of the light was a girl. She stood about half a foot taller than me, had pale skin and black hair tied into a long ponytail at the base of her neck, and wore a long sleeveless jacket with a star on its back, fingerless gloves, and combat boots.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The girl turned to face me. I now saw she had ringed sapphire colored iris's, and wore black bandages around her small bust and short shorts. She held a pure white katana at her side, with a ribbon trailing from its hilt. The sword and her unfamiliar facial structure told me that whoever this was, they were not someone I knew. Before I could say another word, the girl and the blackness disappeared, and I was staring at a brightly lit ceiling. I blinked my eyes a few times to shake off some drowsiness, and the awful headache I was feeling. Sitting up, I found myself in a hospital bed, without my giant gloves.

"Oh, you're awake!" said a vaguely familiar voice.

I tilted my head to the side to face the speaker. Sitting in a chair next to my bed was a woman with long silver-lavender hair and pale blue eyes wearing a red cloak. I stared at the woman in confusion, unsure if I had met her before or not.

"Don't recognize me? Not surprised, seeing as how I only said a few words to you before you were knocked unconscious by that falling girl." the woman said.

It took me a few seconds to register her words before I remembered. "Your name is…Notokishi….right?"

The woman smiled. "Good, so you do remember. I apologize for yelling at you, I was just seriously pissed off after seeing that bastard again."

"No hard feelings. I'm Strength, pleased to meet you." I smiled and extended my hand.

Notokishi's face reddened at the gesture, and her eyes drifted downward.

"What's wrong? Did I do something offensive?" I asked, confused.

"No, I've just never seen breasts as tan as that before." she said, shaking my hand.

Realization dawned on me as my eyes caught sight of my exposed chest. I immediately withdrew my hand and pulled the sheets up to my neckline, using my tail as extra insurance to hold it in place.

"Uh, uh, sorry about that!" I tried.

Notokishi laughed a bit. "Relax, nobody's done anything to you." She reached around behind her, then brought her hands back to hand me my clothes my clothes.

I gladly accepted my garments. Notokishi then stood up and turned around so I could get dressed.

"Where am I exactly? And how long was I unconscious?" I asked after I was covered under my hoodie.

"You're in the infirmary at Garderobe Academy, the school where Otome are trained. You've been out for about two days."

"Two days?!"

"Yeah. That girl must have hit you pretty hard to make you sleep that long."

"A girl knocked me out?"

"That's right. Fell out of the sky and landed right on top of you and Tohsaka."

"Tohsaka?" I then remembered I had been carrying Rin just before getting knocked out. "Oh crap, Rin! I completely forgot about her! Is she-?"

Notokishi held up her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, we took care of her injuries. She's all fixed up and walking around now."

I sighed in relief. "Thank goodness…Wait, what about Saber and my friends? Where are they?"

"They're waiting for you in the conference building, along with the girl who fell on you, and a whole bunch of other outsiders. You seem to be quite popular, Strength."

"(sigh) I must have a lot of explaining to do…alright, let's go."

Notokishi lead me out of the infirmary and into the halls of Garderobe. As we walked along, some of the students shot me looks of interest and suspicion, but immediately changed their expressions to excitement when they caught sight of Notokishi. I noticed there were no male students to be found.

"Is this an all girl school?" I asked.

"Of course. Only women can become otome, and only a couple hundred can become students." Notokishi answered matter-of-factly.

"What exactly is an otome? Are they like HiME?"

"Huh? You've never heard of otome, but you know about the HiME? You are a strange one, Strength. In a way, yes, otome are like HiME, in the sense that both use the special weaponry known as 'element'. But, otome cannot call out the familiars called 'Childs', and instead they have 'Robe', a special kind of battle dress that works in tandem with their element and G.E.M., the source of their power. You could say they're the modern HiME."

"Modern HiME?"

"Yes, because the HiME haven't existed for a very long time. They're part of the ancestry of us here on Earl."

"Wait, this isn't Earth? But it looks so similar."

"Heh, you haven't seen the rest of the planet."

We soon exited the main building and entered the courtyard. There, a woman with shoulder length dark hair and light purple eyes was standing beside the entrance to the main building. She wore a pink and white dress with a VII (Roman numeral for '7') imprinted on the waist. The woman caught sight of us and quickly strode over.

"There you are! I was starting to get lonely out here." the woman in pink said.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, my dear." Notokishi responded.

Then to my surprise, she and the other woman kissed right there in front of me. (very passionately, might I add) After lingering like that for a few seconds, Notokishi noticed my startled expression.

"Um, I think we scared her."

"Huh? Oh!" the woman in pink said as she pulled out of the kiss, seeming to notice me for the first time.

Notokishi then turned toward me again. "Allow me to introduce you. Strength, this is Verona Rosette, my best friend and bodyguard. Verona, this is Strength, one of those visitors who helped put a stop to the attack a couple days ago."

"You can just call me Verona." Verona said, extending her hand.

"Strength, pleased to meet you." I said, shaking it.

"I'm sorry if we freaked you out right there, I'm just used to people already knowing about our relationship." Notokishi said.

"It's alright, I've got a couple friends who are like that as well. I was just surprised that you two are so…open about it."

"I understand, I'm sure relationships like ours aren't quite as accepted in other countries. Or, I guess I should say other worlds."

"Of course its all thanks to you being a princess that we can be like this without getting mocked or ridiculed." Verona said.

"Wait, You're a princess?" I asked.

Notokishi sighed. "Yeah, I'm Notokishi Blan de Windbloom, first born princess of Windbloom and heir to the throne. I have a younger sister, Kaia Wong de Windbloom. I believe you met here the other day along with…him." there was a noticeable amount of hate at the end of her sentence.

"Did…something happen between her and Siegfried? They seemed to know each other." I instantly regretted asking when Notokishi shot me an angry look.

"That's none of your business."

"Uh, I see, I won't ask you again."

"Notokishi, everyone's waiting for you and Strength, remember?" Verona reminded her.

"Ah, that's right. Let's be on our way."

Soon enough we arrived at the conference building. I followed Notokishi and Verona through the large double doors leading to the conference, and was greeted by the sight of a large circular table and many familiar faces, as well as some new ones. On the right side of the room, Saber, Saya, and Rin all sat in chairs, while Mato, Yomi, and Siegfried all stood behind them. On the left side of the room, I recognized Ichigo, Mikoto, The Arbiter, Midori, Miyu, and Akira from the tournament, as well as a group of other people who I did not recognize who most likely shared the same world as one of the combatants. A busty woman with long hair stood behind Ichigo's chair, and another woman like her but with shorter hair stood behind Mikoto. Akira and Miyu stood behind a chair occupied by Midori, who was leaning over and conversing with the Arbiter, who had another member of his race standing behind him. My eyes lingered for a moment on a small woman with short black hair and violet eyes, who sat in a chair next to Ichigo. _Her face…it's the same as the girl in my dream._ I thought. A man with spiky red hair and tattoos stood behind the girl.

My gaze shifted to the far side of the room, where a man with the same long silver-lavender hair as Notokishi sat with two women, one blonde with short hair and the other a brunette with pigtails standing on either side of him. A small crown rested on his head. To his right sat Kaia, who had Artherion balanced on her lap. Notokishi sat down in an empty seat beside Kaia, with Verona standing close behind her. The man also had an empty seat beside him. Notokishi leaned over and said something to the man. He nodded and looked directly at me.

"It appears the guest of honor has finally arrived." he spoke in a gentle, friendly voice.

Everyone in the room focused their attention on me. It felt as though a thousand eyes were all glaring at me at once, so that I could not hide.

"Please, join us." the man spoke again. He gestured to a vacant seat directly in front of me.

Taking a deep breath, I sat down.

"Thank you. Allow me to introduce myself: I am King Mashiro Blan de Windbloom. It's a little late but, welcome to my city, stranger."

"I'm honored, King Mashiro." I replied.

"I believe we have much to discuss. Shall we begin?"

"Just a moment, I think we are missing a guest." I pointed to the vacant seat next to Mashiro.

"Ah, the queen won't be joining us for a while. She's out handling all the repairs that will be needed after the damage caused by that attack."

"Very well, then. I suppose I had better get started."

I proceeded to tell everything I knew about the attacks and the dimensional rifts, and in turn each group told me what had occurred in each of their worlds. I noticed the girl sitting next to Ichigo, who said her name was Rukia, was staring at me anxiously the entire time.

"I see…so from what I gathered, someone is trying to break apart the boundaries keeping the dimensions apart, and that they have the power to raise the dead and are sending out powerful evil warriors to eliminate anyone who stands against them." Mashiro said after we had finished. "It also seems that whenever someone in this person's power is killed, they are turned to ash by blue flames. We brought in the man responsible for the previous attack for questioning, but he was incinerated before he could answer. If only we had someone who was familiar with any of this…"

"I've been thinking about that, your highness, and I may have an idea." I said.

"Please, speak."

I stood up so that I could raise my voice so everyone would hear me. "It has become increasingly clear, that we do not stand a chance against this enemy fighting for our own dimensions. If we are to defeat this threat, then we must join forces, and come to the aid of those who need it. If we combine our powers, and seek out those who would join us in our cause, then we may be able to stop whoever is responsible for the loss of so many. What say all of you?"

The occupants of the room broke into multiple debates through murmurs and whispers. I glanced over at my closest friends. Saya was smiling at me, and gave an approving nod.

"I agree!" a voice suddenly cried out.

Everyone turned to Rukia, who was now standing. "I agree with Strength. We have all lost far too many already. Standing together is the only way we can prevent any further losses!"

"I too, agree with Strength." Saber said, standing.

"As do I!" said Ichigo.

"Me too!" said Mikoto.

"We will follow you as well." said the Arbiter and Midori. The Arbiter's companion nodded.

"Count us in!" said Mato.

Siegfried nodded in approval, and so did Notokishi.

"Then it is decided," King Mashiro began, "we shall unite our armies for the greater good of the multiverse. Let those who stand under the banner of evil beware our combined power!"

Cheers rang up from everywhere in the conference room. With the decision being unanimous, our alliance was formed. It was decided that Wind City would be our base of operations, with the now incredibly fortified Fuuka Palace as it's capital. King Mashiro was kind enough to offer lodging at the castle for me and my fellow otherworlders, as well as Rin, Saber, and Ichigo and his allies from his own world. As we were leaving the conference room to retire for the night, I noticed Siegfried, Kaia and Artherion linger behind to talk.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at the castle with us?" Kaia said.

"They'll need a lookout in case the city is attacked again. And besides, your sister would never allow me to sleep near you. She doesn't exactly trust me." Siegfried reasoned.

"And for good reason."

Kaia and Siegfried turned to Notokishi, who had been standing in the doorway, listening. Notokishi gave Siegfried a death glare. "You'll have to do something pretty damn amazing if you want to earn my trust."

Artherion scuttled over to the woman in red and tugged on her cloak until she met his eyes. "Aunt Notokishi, can't daddy stay with me and mommy? Please?"

Notokishi tried to counter the sad puppy eyes that were gazing her to no avail, and soon let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright, fine. He can stay at the castle."

Artherion's eyes brightened with joy. "Yay!"

Siegfried gave Notokishi a look of surprise and respect. She simply turned around and stomped away in response.

"Do not think this means I trust you! I'm not your friend!" her voice echoed.

I couldn't help but smile at the exchange before rejoining the others. On our way back, Mashiro asked one of his bodyguards (the two women who were standing behind him) to go find the queen and ask her to return to the castle. The woman with pigtails happily nodded before walking off in a different direction. Later at Fuuka Palace, as we were all settling in for the night, the woman returned, excitement written all over her face.

"Mashiro-chan! I've got big news!" the woman said, almost crashing into the man as she burst through the front gate.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down Arika! What happened? And did you find Nina?" Mashiro said.

"Oh, I found her all right! But you'll never believe this: she's got her otome powers back!"

"What?!"

Mashiro looked at the three rings he wore on his right hand. Each ring had a different color stone in it, one pink, one sky blue, and one grey. All of a sudden, the grey one turned black as night.

"But, that doesn't make any sense…"

"What doesn't make sense, Mashiro-sama?" said a strict woman's voice.

Everyone in the room turned toward the entrance to the castle to see a tall woman with black hair and orange eyes wearing a dark green and white dress. Her clothing worked well to match her slim figure, as well as make her small chest a tad more noticeable. Although she did not wear a crown, something about her presence felt…regal.

"Nina…wow…that's a nice look for you." Mashiro exclaimed.

The woman rose an eyebrow at him. "Are you alright, Mashiro-sama? You usually only make comments like that to Arika."

Mashiro turned to Arika, utterly bewildered. "Arika, could you please explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Arika nervously scratched behind her head. "Well, you see, I did find Nina-chan like you asked, but then this big crack opened up in the ground and she fell in. I reached inside to try and pull her out, but when I did she was like this," she gestured to Nina. "and her G.E.M. was back in her ear, so I figured she must have somehow regained her otome powers."

"I don't recall ever losing them, seeing as how I never…well, you know…did that." Nina said, blushing slightly.

I put this new knowledge together to try and come up with an explanation. When I had a reasonable answer, I decided to speak it out loud.

"I think I know what's going on." I started. "From what I've gathered, the Nina that you knew fell into a dimensional rift leading to some alternate universe where her life took a slightly different course. When Arika reached inside the rift to pull her out, she must have grabbed the Nina from that alternate universe."

"That would explain why she seems so different. Arika, is the crack still open?"

Arika pouted and shook her head. "Nope. It closed right after I pulled Nina out."

Mashiro groaned before slumping over. "Oh boy…I've had enough crazy cross-dimensional crap to last a lifetime these last few days. Everyone, let's just go to bed now, okay? We can talk about it more tomorrow. Nina, you can sleep wherever you want tonight."

With that, we all retired for the night.

* * *

**A/N:** The rest can be considered a bonus :). Yuri ahead, **You have been warned.**

* * *

_**Erstin**_

* * *

I casually walked down the hallway leading to my room, thinking over the events that had just transpired a few moments ago. _Wow…so this Nina isn't married to Mashiro-sama? Does that mean she's single? Considering how sexy she looked in that dress, it wouldn't be surprising if she was into that…_ I shook my head as I realized what my thoughts were leading to. _No! I can't be having those kinds of thoughts about Nina! I've sworn my love to Mashiro now!_ I let out a sigh of relief as I noticed the door to my bedroom._ Geez, that hasn't happened for what, 30 years now?_ I reached for the knob and opened the door.

"Whew! What a day! I can't wait to get some rest…" I said aloud as I entered the room, closing the door behind me.

I had barely taken two steps into my room before I realized I was not alone. Lying in my bed, with only her head sticking out from the covers, was none other than Nina Wong.

"N-N-Nina-chan?!" I stammered.

The sleeping beauty slowly opened her eyes. When they found me, she smiled rather seductively. "Oh, you're finally here. I was starting to get lonely."

Nina sat up, letting the bed sheets fall and revealing two exposed mounds of flesh. Old feelings started to rise up, and I felt a lot of blood rush to my head. I didn't realize until after I felt something hot trickling from my nose that I was staring straight at her breasts. Silently cursing myself, I quickly brought a hand up to wipe my nose and shook my head clear of perverted thoughts.

"Um, what are you doing in here, Nina-chan?" I asked, trying really, really, hard not to stare.

"Well, this is _our_ room isn't it? Where else would I go?" Nina answered as she stood up. She was still wearing panties, fortunately.

"O-o-o-_our_ room?!" it was getting harder and harder to keep my feelings at bay.

Nina nodded. "That's right. Since you and I have _that_ kind of relationship, we always sleep together."

"Relationship…" images began flying through my head, most of which were quite naughty.

"Oh yes, we're very…" she walked over and leaned close to me. "_intimate_ with each other."

To my surprise (and somewhat to my pleasure as well), Nina wrapped one arm around my waist while she began to caress my cheek with her other hand. Even through my clothes, her touch felt like fire dancing all over my skin, hot and soothing at the same time.

"Ahh…" I moaned quietly.

"Erstin…" Nina whispered.

Then, without warning, she moved her hand from my cheek to the back of my head and pulled me in for a kiss. It felt as if I had died and gone to heaven when our lips met. In fact, I was so surprised and excited at the sudden contact, that I was left without a clue as to how to respond next. Nina seemed to notice this, and she pulled her lips away from mine and frowned.

"What's wrong? Usually by now you would be pushing me onto the bed and we'd be getting to the good part."

That did it. This was all going WAY too fast, and her last sentence proved it with all the thoughts that exploded into my brain. I needed to calm down fast, otherwise this could get even more awkward than it already was.

"Um, can you give me a few minutes? I think I need to explain a few things…"

After a few moments had passed and I had explained to Nina my circumstances, she went dead silent.

Then finally, she spoke. "I see…so in this universe we aren't-"

I hung my head in sympathetic sorrow. "No…"

"And Mashiro-sama and I are-"

"Married, yes…" I was starting to regret telling her my point of view. _I love Mashiro-sama…right?_

Nina dropped her gaze to the floor. "Oh…I understand…sorry for disturbing you, I will go."

She collected her clothes and slowly walked toward the door. Despite her efforts to hide it, I saw a tear fall from her face. _...wow, I must be the biggest idiot of all time. Am I really going to let her go now, when she's finally returning my feelings?_ I heard the doorknob click as Nina made to leave. _…..Like hell I am!_

"Wait!" I said, grabbing her arm before the door could move.

I didn't give her a chance to speak before planting a kiss firmly on those succulent lips of hers. Now Nina was the surprised one, and she stared at me blankly when I finally pulled away.

"But, I thought you said-" Nina started.

I didn't let her finish. "Nina, do you have any idea how much I cried when Mashiro-sama married you? It tore me apart to see you with someone else in that way! Do you really think that now that I've finally been given a chance to love you, I'd turn it down? Not in a million years!"

A soft smile broke out on Nina's face. "Erstin…"

Placing both my hands on her shoulders, I looked directly into her beautiful orange eyes, and then I smiled and said something I should have said a long time ago. "I love you, Nina Wong."

Nina's eyes were flooding with tears of joy. Dropping her clothes, she took hold of my hips and returned my stare. "And I love you, Erstin Ho."

Then, we gave each other our most passionate kiss yet. While we did this, I lifted the girl I had longed for so badly since I was 15, carried her over to my bed, and laid her down. I will never forget what I felt when we made love. The way she smiled when I stripped us bare, the way her tongue danced with mine when we kissed, the gentle lapping of her tongue over my breast while her hand caressed the other, the sounds she made when I did the same to her, the taste of her passion when I licked her core, the feel of her fingers inside mine, the pleasure of our bodies grinding against one another, and the ecstasy when we both finally climaxed. Hours must have gone by as we repeated the cycle again and again, until at last neither of us could continue. I remember falling asleep with her head resting on my breasts, and our fingers intertwined.

"Goodnight, Erstin." she said at some point during her sleep.

I smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling the covers over us. "Goodnight, Nina-chan."

* * *

**A/N: **DarkNovelist here. Wow, this is easily my longest chapter EVER. The whole scenario with Alt. Nina (as I've taken to calling her) may or may not carry over into the rest of the story, as I mainly did it for the fanservice this time (there's not nearly enough Nina/Erstin action out there!). Lol anyway, I've been thinking over wether or not the group of good guys should have a name, like for their alliance. If you guys have any ideas, feel free to tell me as I am always willing to hear your opinion. Till next time! DarkNovelist out.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: I am not Weak**

* * *

**Fuuka Palace, Windbloom**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

It was strange at first, waking up somewhere besides Seireitei or Karakura Town. But after a few days I began to get used to sleeping in the big castle. It had been decided that our newly formed alliance wouldn't start heading to other worlds until we had mustered a sizeable force to protect the city in our absence. The Arbiter said it would take at least two months to finish preparations, so I decided to use my time to train and try to make friends with my new allies. After all, I had to become stronger if I were to one day return to Soul Society and defeat the demon knight. I was surprised to find that most of our allies were easy to get along with, particularly among the HiME and with the strange girl called Mato. In fact, I had barely said a few words to her before she had grabbed and shaken my hand and introduced herself and her closest friend, Yomi. Some of the others were…slightly less friendly. One of the less social ones was Siegfried. Judging from the scar over his right eye, and the skill with which he wielded his enormous sword, he had seen many battles. Yet, never once when we were training did he join us, he just went somewhere else to train alone.

"That man, there's an aura of great pain around him." I had heard the swordswoman known as Saber say during one of our breaks.

"He doesn't exactly have many fond memories." said Verona, a kind woman and otome who was almost always seen with Princess Notokishi. "Although, I suppose it would also have to do with his discovery of Artherion. From what Kaia's told me about him, he's actually not a bad person. I almost feel sorry for him."

The second of the princesses was sitting nearby, playing with Artherion. Now and then, she would glance over to where Siegfried trained in solitude. More than once I saw a faint smile creep onto her face as she watched him.

"So, what exactly is the relationship between those two?" I asked. "Are they a couple? because Artherion seems to resemble both of them."

Verona tensed up at my words, making me realize I probably shouldn't have asked. But, she relaxed. "Out of respect for Notokishi's wish to keep it secret, I can't tell you." she replied with her usual sincerety. "However, if you were to ask Kaia herself, she might tell you."

I thanked her for the suggestion, but decided not to ask right away. Judging from the way Verona reacted, it must be something very personal, and better discussed in privacy. Later, when Kaia and I were sitting alone in the castle lounge, I made my move.

"Princess Kaia, may I-" I started.

"Please, just call me Kaia." she said softly.

"Alright. Kaia, may I ask you something? It's sort of personal..."

She gave me a look that told me she knew what I was about to say. "Go on."

"What exactly is the relationship between you and Siegfried?"

I closed my eyes in anticipation of a hard slap, but when no move was made to hurt me I opened my eyes to find her pouring herself a cup of tea.

"If you don't want to talk about it..." I said apologeticaly.

"No, it's alright. It's about time I told someone anyway." she said before taking a sip of her tea. "Heh, I think Ms. Shizuru has rubbed off on me a little."

She offered me some tea, and waited for me to take the cuo into my hands before she began.

"It was around three yeears ago when we met. Back then, I was an otome, and he was known as the azure knight, Nightmare."

"Azure knight..." I was reminded of the demonic knight who destroyed Seireitei and murdered my brother. He had worn azure armor.

"Yes, the same knight that destroyed your world. That was Nightmare."

I suddenly became enraged at the swordsman. "You mean Siegfried, he was the one who-"

"No. Siegfried is no longer the man behind the armor."

"Oh... sorry for interrupting, please continue."

Kaia nodded. "At the time when we met, both Siegfried and myself were bound to swords of great and evil power. Him to Soul Edge, and me to Angheoul. My sword was slowly transforming me into a monster, and it said the only way I could return to normal was by destroying Soul Edge. I set out with the intention of being human again, but I was deceived by my sword and I turned to darkness. It was then that I learned that Siegfried shared similar circumstances to my own, and so I sought him out..."

Kaia trembled slightly for a moment.

"Are you all right?" I asked, moving close to support her.

"I'm fine, just some...unpleasant memories."

"If you don't want to continue..."

"No, I'm almost finished anyway."

I wasn't sure if she was really okay, but I sat back down and allowed her to continue.

"I sought out Siegfried, and then...then I did the one thing an otome must never do."

I froze. During the week I'd been living at the castle, I had learned about the otome and their customs. Otome were vastly powerful, but all had one weakness: should they ever lose their virginity, their powers will disappear.

"You...slept with Siegfried?"

Kaia nodded. "The turn to darkness and the sword's corruption had made me want to rid myself of any humanity I had left. I gave up my purity to be with Siegfried, for he was the only one who could understand the pain I felt."

"But why? Why did you do it? Wasn't he going to destroy this world?"

"If you could get my sister to talk about it, she'd tell you the corruption of my sword drove me to do it. But..."

"But?"

Kaia's gaze took on a sort of gentle ferocity. "If you want to know the truth, I did fall for Siegfried, the _real_ Siegfried. Past the darkness of his arm and armor, he was still very much human. When I saw his face, I felt as though I had found salvation in the form of this man."

So she did love him. I took a moment to let the knowledge sink in before I asked my next question.

"If you love him, why are you so nervous around him? Doesn't he share your feelings?"

Kaia's gaze softened. "I am fairly certain he cares about me, but that is not what has me on edge. You see, shortly after I had joined his side, my sister and our friend Miyu arrived with Soul Calibur in their possession. We fought, and when it was over Siegfried was dead. Miyu had decapitated him."

"Miyu? You mean the android?"

"He's not an android in our world, not anymore."

"Wait, _he_?"

"It's a long story. Anyway, after Siegfried was killed I was defeated by my sister and freed from my bond with Angheoul. During my recovery I discovered I was pregnant, and 10 months later Artherion was born. For three years Siegfried was dead, for three years I raised our son under the illusion that his father was a great warrior who had left me out of grief for his sin. I'm sure you can understand now how shocking it was when he returned, alive and with the spirit sword no less. It almost feels as though he is a ghost haunting me."

"I see...so he is a changed man now."

Kaia smiled at this. "Indeed he is. He now seems determined to protect me from harm, especially from Nightmare. He told me that were it not for Artherion and me, he would be scouring the worlds for the azure knight so that he could defeat him and atone for his dark past."

"Then why train alone? Would it not be better if we helped him?"

"He doesn't ask for help because he is afraid of getting more innocent lives caught up in _his_ problem."

I was starting to gain more and more respect for the man. Now I had only one more question to ask.

"I have just one more question."

"Go ahead."

"After all that's happened, do you regret it?" I knew I was touching on a nerve, so I mentally prepared myself for the beating that was sure to follow.

Instead Kaia was taken aback by my words and hesitated before regaining her composure. "No, I do not. There is no longer anything for me to regret." she then stared pass me. "What about you, Siegfried?"

I suddenly became aware of the swordsman's presence standing in the doorway to the lounge. Siegfried glared at me through emerald orbs, showing me a lifetime of pain and anger in his eyes.

"More than any sin I have committed. You should not have had to suffer as I once did. As I still do." he said.

"Siegfried...how long were you-" I started.

"Long enough, Kuchiki. Long enough." and he left without another word.

The next day while Renji and I were training, he approached me.

"Kuchiki, you and I have something to discuss," then he turned to Renji and added "alone."

Renji was about to protest, but I raised my hand in time to stop him. "It's okay, I know what he's talking about."

Renji seemed to understand, but I could feel his uncertainty as Siegfried and I walked away. Judging by the angry look on Siegfried's face, I was about to be punished for my intrusion into his private life. My theory seemed to be correct when we arrived at a large garden courtyard and he drew his sword.

"Draw your sword." it was a command, not a request.

It seemed he wanted to give me a chance to defend myself before he killed me. I drew my zanpakutou from its sheathe.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki." I said.

My sword immediately dawned its shikai form as I readied it for combat. Siegfried nodded and took his own stance. After staying still for a moment, he sprung forward, slashing at me with all his might. I dodged the first strike, and the second, but the third came so fast I nearly lost my head. As Siegfried prepared to launch another volley of blows, I lunged at him. He dodged my strike expertly, and I found myself ducking under a swipe from his sword. I slashed at him again as I rose, causing him to quickly retract in order to block it, and knocking him off balance. Seizing my chance, I went for his left arm, which seemed to be his dominant one in combat. But to my surprise, he sidestepped out of the path of my attack and quickly switched hands. Before I could mount a defense, the hilt of his sword slammed against my head, knocking me to the ground.

"You are weak." he said. "As you are now, the azure knight will take your head before you even have a chance to avenge your brother."

I stared up at him, surprised. I had told no one about my quest for vengeance. "Why do you care about that?"

"Because I swore I would be the one to defeat him and claim redemption. A weakling such as you does not deserve that chance."

He rose his sword to deliver a killing blow. I quickly rolled to the side as the sword cut into the pavement where my head once lay.

"Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro!" (first dance, white moon) I shouted.

A giant pillar of ice rose around Siegfried, trapping him within. Suddenly, the pillar shattered and he stood unscathed, sword planted in the ground. He returned the weapon to his fighting posture and charged at me again. Quickly, I stabbed my sword into four spots on the ground before me, which began to radiate a white aura. Holding my sword as if to thrust it, I aimed the blade at my target.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" (next dance, white ripple)

At my command, a torrent of snow and ice burst from my sword straight at Siegfried. I couldn't help but smirk with satisfaction as he made a shocked look before disappearing behind the blast. Then it was my turn to be surprised when the wave parted and revealed him still standing, though injured and bleeding in a few areas, with his sword angled downward. _Did he...cut through my attack?!_ I thought as he continued his advance toward me. Not to be outdone, I charged forward to meet him. Once again our blades clashed, and we were locked in a struggle to push each other back when neither of us pulled away. I glared straight into Siegfried's eyes, and he returned the glare into mine. My arms were beginning to weaken under the strain of keeping his enormous sword back, and I felt my feet slide back a few feet. Growling, I planted them firmly behind me and pushed against my opponent with all my might. I must have surprised him with my sudden burst of strength, as he stumbled back. I took advantage of his loss of balance to cut at him again, and this time he barely stopped me from making a hole in his shoulder. I continued to advance on him in this way, striking and slashing relentlessly until I freed his sword from his grasp and he fell on his back to the ground.

I pointed my sword at his throat. "I am not weak!" I declared. "I will avenge my brother and all the other soul reaper's who were slaughtered! I will defeat Nightmare!"

He stared up at me in amazement. Then, a soft smile formed on his lips. "You have proven yourself worthy."

I stared at him in confusion. "What?"

He gently moved my sword away from his neck and stood, smiling down at me. "You have shown me that you have the potential to overcome the azure knight. However, you are still far from ready to face such an opponent as him."

He retrieved his sword and returned it to its resting place on his back. "Therefore, I shall train you from this day forth, so that you will be ready when the time comes."

I wasn't sure wether I should be honored for the offer or angry for his insults. "Wait, aren't you mad at me?"

"No, not at all. I simply wanted to test you. Sorry if I sounded cruel, but I meant what I said: someone who is weak is not fit to face the azure knight. But you have shown me that you are strong, though others might not see it."

"Well thanks, but I don't understand. I thought you wanted to be the one to defeat Nightmare?"

He smiled and shook his head. "If I were still on my own, I would have left long ago to face him. But, I have a responsibility now." he turned towards one of the entrances to the garden.

I followed his gaze and saw Kaia and Artherion standing there. Artherion ran from his mother's arms over to Siegfried.

"Daddy, you're hurt!" said the child, noticing the cuts on Siegfried's arms.

Siegfried merely chuckled and picked up his son. "Don't worry, I've had much worse."

Artherion smiled and hugged his father. Then he let go and stared straight into his eyes. "Daddy, when I grow up will you teach me sword fighting?"

Siegfried glanced at Kaia for a response to this. She nodded, and Siegfried looked back at the child in his arms. "When you're older, I will teach you. But for now, why don't we go get some of that-what's it called, ice cream?"

Artherion's eyes brightened with joy. "Yeah!"

Kaia walked up to join the two of them, locking arms with Siegfried. The German knight then looked back at me one last time before turning to leave.

"See you tomorrow, Kuchiki. I'm looking forward to your training."

I watched them walk away, having newfound respect for the knight. Yes, I would look forward to my training as well.

* * *

A few weeks after that, we were called to the conference room once again. It was finally time to start aiding the other dimensions. The Arbiter was standing at the head of the conference table next to King Mashiro.

"We've finally finished building up defenses. Now we may act in the aid of our neighbors." the Arbiter said.

"It's been decided," Mashiro started. "that we will be sending heroes out to other dimensions in teams of six. So far we've managed to form at least three teams, which the Arbiter will now announce."

The Arbiter stepped forward. "Team No. 1 will consist of Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Mai Tokiha, Natsuki Kuga, Mato Kuroi, Yomi Takanashi, and Yuichi Tate. The seventh member is a necessity for Kuga and Tokiha to fight at their best."

(**A/N:** In the Mai-Hime manga, Hime require a person or thing called a 'key' in order to use their Child. Natsuki and Mai have the same 'key', Tate.)

"Team No. 2 will be Strength, Saya Irino, Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Mikoto Minagi, and Akira Okuzaki."

"Aww, but I want to be with Mai's group!" Mikoto complained.

"Oh shush, you can go back to fondling her when we get back." Akira said.

"And finally," the Arbiter continued, "Team No. 3 will be Saber, Rin Tohsaka, Notokishi Blan de Windbloom, Verona Rosette, Midori Sugiura, and myself."

"Oh, can't stand to be away from me, Arby-kun?" Midori said with a smirk.

The Arbiter shot her a death glare that could frighten demons. Needless to say, that shut her up. He then turned back to us. "Each team will be heading to a different dimension. While they are there, they are to aid the inhabitants if they are under attack-which they most likely will be-and try to recruit anyone who will join us, and if possible, find someone who can explain the blue flames. Shipmaster will show you to your escorts. Good luck, and may the gods be in your favor."

We all nodded and followed the Elite clad in white armor out the door. Soon enough we were split into our groups and standing in front of three Phantoms, dropships used by the Elites. Ichigo walked over to me and extended his hand.

"Hey, good luck out there, Rukia." he said to me, smiling with his dark brown eyes.

"You too, fool. I'd tell you to not do anything reckless, but you probably wouldn't listen anyway." I said shaking his hand.

Ichigo chuckled. "Heh, you know me well." then with a smile on his face and fire in his eyes, he put a hand on my head. "I promise I'll come back in one piece."

"You better." I said, returning the smile.

Just as Ichigo walked back to his group, I noticed Inoue was staring at me with a glint of...hate in her eyes. Before I could ask her about it, I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I found Renji smiling at me.

"Don't worry, he's too stubborn to get killed." Renji said.

"Yeah, he is Ichigo after all."

Then it was time to leave. I climbed aboard the Phantom, and we took off. As we passed over the castle, I saw a person standing on the walls waving at our Phantom. A glint of silver metal told me it was Siegfried. I waved back, then turned toward the distant horizon.

"We're about to enter a rift. Prepare yourselves, humans." the pilot said.

I saw the dark crack of the sky grow larger as we came close. With my sword at my side, and my rifle grasped firmly in hands, we passed through the rift and into the unknown.


	10. Chapter 9

**Team 1's Phantom, shortly after…**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

The moment we passed through the rift, we began to experience difficulties. Since the rift was freshly made the energy had not stabilized, and it sent a surge through our ship. The hardware in my helmet suddenly went haywire, causing severe interference to my visor, so I was forced to take it off in order to see.

"We're losing power! That surge was an EMP!" the pilot yelled.

I'm no alien tech expert, but even I could tell that the sudden frantic beeping and flashing lights that went off was not a good sign. The side doors opened, and I saw a large building and runway down below us. Hearing the engines begin to die, I immediately ran over to the Elite piloting our ship.

"Pilot! Do you think you can land us down there?" I yelled.

The Elite glanced over to his side. "Barely, we have lost much our energy! Tell the others to prepare!" he ordered.

I nodded and went back to the passenger platform to inform everyone. We all took hold of the handles that hung from the ceiling, and I watched as the ground quickly drew close.

"Brace yourselves!" the pilot yelled.

I held on with everything I had as our ship met the earth (or whatever planet this was, as we were in a different world now). We skidded violently down the runway for a few moments before we finally came to a stop. I coughed for a few moments to clear my lungs of all the dust we had kicked up.

"(cough) Is (cough) everyone alright?" I said.

"Been better…" Renji muttered in annoyance.

"I've had worse landings." said Natsuki.

"We're okay!" Mato confirmed.

The Elite pilot staggered out of the cockpit, using the wall for support. I walked over to give him a hand, but he pushed it aside.

"It is only a few bruises. I endured much worse during the flood war." the pilot said, standing up straight.

We all decided to gather outside the ship. Outside, I got a good view of our surroundings. We had landed on the runway I saw earlier, and nearby stood a tall building that almost resembled a school. A tall, thin building with a spiral like structure built around it stood in the distance. Surprisingly, there was no one to be seen. I quickly realized why the area was deserted when I saw pillars of smoke rising from somewhere beyond the building. _Is there anywhere that hasn't been stained by battle?_ I wondered as I shared my discovery with the group.

"It seems the flames of war burn brightly these days…Very well, go and investigate while I tend to repairs. Don't worry, I will be fine on my own." said the pilot.

"We'll come back as soon as we can." I promised.

Taking my rifle off my back and putting my helmet back on, I lead the others inside the nearby building. On the way in, I noticed a sign reading 'IS Academy'. At least now I knew where we were. As we walked through the building we passed several civilians who were headed in the opposite direction. A few of them stopped to stare at us before running again. Soon enough we were outside the first building and into what looked like a dormitory. Like with Garderobe, there were only female students. A green haired woman with glasses suddenly noticed us and almost fainted had I not caught her before she hit the floor.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

The woman seemed to snap out of her shock at the sound of my voice.

"Are you…one of them?" she asked me.

"Them?"

"The cyborgs. You're not one of them, are you?"

"No, I'm a person. Just flesh and blood." I took off my helmet to show her.

A wave of relief passed over her face at the sight of mine. "Thank goodness. I'm Yamada, a teacher at this school." she extended her hand.

"Rukia." I said, shaking it.

"You don't look like you're from around here, are you travellers from a different world?"

"Yes. Has someone else like us been here before?"

"Yes. A young boy named Rex, he came here not too long ago."

"As interesting as that is, I couldn't help but notice your school is in danger. Does it have anything to do with those cyborgs you mentioned?"

Yamada nodded. "They showed up a little while ago and started blasting everything in sight. I recognized one of them as Silver Gospel, an unmanned IS unit that some of my students fought some time ago."

"IS?"

"Oh that's right, you're not from around here. An IS, or Infinite Stratos, is a sort of advanced mechanized battle-suit. Normally only women can use them-"

"That explains the lack of male students."

"-but there are two males who can use an IS. Or, I guess I should say one now…"

Yamada's gaze dropped to the floor. She didn't have to explain to me the meaning of her words.

"I see. I'm sorry Ms. Yamada." I said. "Now then, I suggest you get your students to safety, and point us in the direction of those cyborgs."

"Of course. Follow that hallway to the coliseum, they were there last time I checked. Please hurry, some of my students left to fight the cyborgs and I haven't heard back from them."

I nodded, and my allies ran in the indicated direction. A few moments later, the sound of heavy gunfire could be heard through the walls. We were getting close to the coliseum. Soon we were standing in the bleachers of a large arena, and I stopped in my tracks as I observed the battle before us. On one end of the arena, a young girl with long silver hair and an eye patch was piloting a suit of black armor with a single shoulder mounted cannon. The girl's cannon was firing non-stop at something that moved too fast for me to identify, while she tried to hold her own against a gargantuan knight wielding a huge spiked mace. A bloody mass of blue metal and blonde hair lay crumpled near her. On the other side of the arena, a girl with reddish blonde hair and violet eyes was piloting an orange armor and held a pair of sub-machine guns, which she fired at a silver suit of armor, with glowing metal wings, most likely Silver Gospel. Before I could try to help either of the girls, a silver and blue metal man with mandible like mouth pieces materialized in front of me.

"Target acquired." the man said.

I pointed my rifle at his head. The man quickly reached out and grabbed the barrel of my gun. In a flash, the barrel froze completely solid, and the man broke off the frozen fragment. I dropped what remained of my firearm and leapt back.

"Split up! Help the girls below!" I said. The others split off, leaving me to handle the cyborg in front of me.

"Who are you?" I demanded, hand already at the hilt of my sword.

"I am designated as Sub-Zero." answered the cyborg. "If we are to duel, then let us do so with only our physical abilities. No weapons."

I was hesitant to accept his challenge, seeing as how he was completely metal and the fingerless gloves I wore offered little more protection than my bare hands. But I was not about to go back on my words. I am not weak, I can defeat him.

"Very well, I accept." I said, raising my fists.

Sub-Zero nodded and took his own stance. I made the first move, striking out with my left fist. Sub-Zero blocked the strike and quickly countered with a spinning kick. I ducked under the strike and threw an uppercut at him. I struck his chin, causing him to stumble and fall back a bit. Ignoring the throbbing sensation from striking solid metal, I resumed my advance and lunged at him. This time Sub-Zero crouched down with one foot forward. Suddenly, he surged forward, propelled by a sheet of slippery ice he formed beneath his feet. I was too far into my lunge to dodge the blow, and his foot smacked into mine, throwing me to the ground. He turned around leapt into the air, preparing to launch himself down at me. I rolled to the side in time to avoid having my ribs crushed, and was on my feet again. Before he could ready himself, I jumped feet first at him, using flash step to propel myself and increase the force of the blow. Sub-Zero was taken off his feet, but quickly rose back to his fighting posture.

"You fight well." he said.

"As do you." I responded.

I quickly glanced to the side to check on my comrades. Renji was engaged in a sword duel with a pink haired woman whose weapon resembled Miyu's. Natsuki had summoned Duran, her robot wolf Child and was having him fire at a massive 12ft tall demonic humanoid beast with large horns, mechanical legs, and some sort of rocket launcher built in place of its right arm. The silver haired girl from before lay embedded in a wall, slumped over. Crimson liquid was flowing down from where she was stuck. _Dammit, they were too late!_ I thought angrily to myself. I noticed Yomi and Mato were facing off with the knight with the huge mace, and so far they seemed to be holding their own. Mai and Tate were teaming up with the girl in the orange mech-suit to fight back against Silver Gospel. _Well, at least we saved one of them…_

"Do not lose focus." Sub-Zero said, snapping me back to my own battle.

I looked back at the cyborg in time to feel his metal fist slam into my gut. I backed away slightly, coughing up some blood from the blow.

"Damn…" I muttered.

Shrugging off the immense pain in my stomach, I raised my fists in preparation for the next attack. Sub-Zero immediately rushed forward, projecting a blast of misty white energy at me. The blast connected, and suddenly every inch of my body was frozen in ice. Because of this, I was unable to prevent him from forming a large broadsword out of ice and slashing me across the chest with it, breaking both the weapon and my casing in the process. I clutched at the freshly made wound, and the scent of blood soon permeated the air.

"I thought (pant) you said no weapons." I managed.

"That sword is part of my physical abilities. As is the blast which froze you." he responded simply.

An idea crossed my mind, and I couldn't help but smile. "So, as long as it's a physical ability, anything goes?"

"Correct."

"Alright then…"

I flash stepped directly in front of him, and placed two of my fingers against his forehead. Before he could realize my intention, I spoke the command word.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!" (pale lightning)

A deadly bolt of lightning flew from my finger, blowing a hole through the cyborg's head and causing him to short circuit. Sub-Zero fell to the ground in a heap of scorched metal. Although I hadn't originally planned on using kido, I had still beaten him. I didn't have time to enjoy my victory though, the others still needed my help. Drawing my sword, I quickly went to Renji's side. He was struggling against his opponent, a woman with pink hair and pink eyes with a golden sword in place of her right arm. I blocked a strike from the woman as I appeared before Renji.

"What took you so long?" Renji grumbled.

"I was in a fist fight. Remind me to take up martial arts when we get back." I replied.

Even with my help, it was still difficult to defeat the cyborg woman. But, after several injuries and power attacks, the enemy at last succumbed to our strength and shut down. After making certain that she was dead, (you never know with cyborgs) Mato and Yomi came over to join us. They had defeated Mordekaiser (he identified himself during their battle) after exerting the same amount of effort it took for me and Renji to defeat the pink haired woman. I suddenly felt something tighten around my waist, pulling my arms against my sides. I saw the same thing happen to Mato, and then both of us were swiftly lifted off the ground toward the bleachers.

"Rukia!" Renji called after me.

While I was struggling to break out of my invisible bonds, the one responsible for the attack revealed themselves. My bonds, chains, became visible as I was brought face to face with a familiar lavender haired woman with a mask over her eyes.

"Rider!" I shouted to the woman.

She smirked in response. "So you remember me, Rukia Kuchiki."

"What the hell are you doing here? Trying to assassinate me again?"

"No. Don't you remember what I said the first time we fought? I want to know if you are as big a threat to us as I had perceived. Besides, the master's prize was here as well, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone." She glanced over at Mato, who was trying to free herself.

"Your master wants Mato? What for? And who is your master?"

Rider silenced me by tightening the chains. "I have already said too much. Now, hold still. This will only take a moment."

Rider then took off her eye mask, revealing a pair of pale lavender eyes that made me freeze at the sight of them. Petrified by her gaze, I was unable to stop her from cupping the side of both Mato's face and my own as she drew us close. She stared directly into our eyes for a moment, then all of a sudden her eyes went wide with shock and fear.

"W-what is this?!" Rider stammered. "No! I-it can't be possible! What are you?!"

In her moment of fear, she had allowed the chains to loosen enough for me to stick one of my hands out at her.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!" (red flame cannon) I yelled.

At my command, a ball of explosive red energy burst from my open hand, exploding right as it struck the ground in front of Rider. The strange woman was knocked off her feet, causing her to drop the chains and allowing Mato and I to move freely. Both of us drew our swords and readied them for battle. Rider stared at us in absolute horror.

"No, get away!" she cried before vanishing away.

Mato and I gave each other a glance of confusion.

"What was that all about?" Mato asked.

"No idea." I answered honestly.

"Rukia! Mato!" came Renji and Yomi's voices.

I turned to see them running towards us, long with the blonde girl in the orange mech-suit.

"Are you alright?" Renji asked, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Yes, I managed to get us free. Rider escaped, but from the way she acted towards me and Mato, I don't think she'll be bothering us anytime soon."

"(sigh) thank goodness."

"So, who's the girl in the mech-suit?"

The blonde girl walked up to me. Her mech disappeared, leaving only a flight suit behind. She smiled and extended her hand toward me.

"Bonjour, I am Charlotte Dunois." the girl said. Her accent told me she was French.

"I am Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki." I said, taking her hand and shaking it lightly.

"I thank you and your friends for coming and helping me, I wouldn't have lasted much longer without you."

"It's the least we can do. I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner…"

I glanced down at the arena below. Natsuki was inspecting the silver haired girl. She gave a thumbs up before attempting to pull her out of the wall.

"It looks like Laura is still alive!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Thank god, I had thought she was killed." I said, relieved. _So we were able to save both after all._

Then I realized something. We were still missing a couple members of our team.

"Dunois-"

"Please, call me Charlotte."

"Okay. Charlotte, where are Tate and Mai? They were the two who were helping you."

Charlotte's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm afraid they died while protecting me. They took Gospel with them."

The French girl pointed to where she had fought the unmanned IS. Mai and Tate lay near a scorched mass of metal, small platters of blood all around them. We had saved this world, as well as two of its heroes, but at the cost of two of our own.

Renji swore before turning to the rest of us.

"So, who's going to tell Mikoto?"

* * *

**Fury's Fortress, shortly after...**

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

I walked along the aisles of the chapel, searching for anything that could be done to improve one of the few rooms in my fortress I actually cared for. I couldn't help but smile as I looked over the altar that I was sure I would soon be visiting, with my chosen one by my side.

**"Daydreaming again, are we?"**

My smile instantly vanished the moment his voice went through my mind.

"So what if I am? I'm allowed to dream, you know."

**"You really got a thing for this chick, don't you? I can practically smell your arousal. Hehehehehehehehe!"**

I clenched my fists. "If you were in someone elses body, I would seriously punch the fuck out of you right now."

Before Satan could make another wisecrack remark, the doors to the chapel burst open. Rider frantically ran through the open doors and over to me. She looked terrified, and I was wondering why that was seeing as how I hadn't done anything to her. Yet.

"Master! There is something of great importance that I must tell you!" Rider spoke.

"Calm down Rider. Just tell me what you need to tell me."

"That girl, the one with sapphire eyes, you can't have her!"

I paused for a moment before allowing a hint of anger to appear on my face. "What?" I spoke slowly.

"Master, I captured her and another girl, and I looked into their souls and saw their future. Master, that girl will destroy you! She-"

I silenced Rider when my hand closed around her throat. "Are you telling me, that y**ou had her within your grasp, and then let her go?**"

"Mas...ter...she'll...kill...you..." Rider wheezed.

**"I should crush you for your insolence!"**

I was about to burn her, incinerate this fool who was trying to sway me from my deepest desire, but then an idea came across my mind. I smiled wickedly as I loosened my grip on Rider's throat.

**"Rider, I have a prop**osition for you. Would you like to hear it?" I asked.

She weakly nodded her head.

"I am willing to give you another chance, if you will help me...'test' something. Otherwise, I'll just roast you and send your soul back to oblivion. So, what do you say?"

I loosened my grip a bit more so she could speak clearly.

"I...accept...master..." she said slowly.

"I knew you'd come around." I released my grip on her, dropping her to the floor. "Now go to my quarters, I will give you your 'assignment' there."

Trembling, Rider weakly got up and left for my room. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I walked down the halls of my fortress towards the courtyard.

**"That was unexpected. I thought for sure you were gonna cook her."** said Satan. **"So what do you plan to do with her? Is she gonna be your sex slave or something? I know I'd make that piece of ass mine if I had the chance! Hehehe!"**

"Not quite. I want to try 'that' on her before I use it on Mato. Just in case there are any complications I need to take care of."

**"Oh, I see now. So, you're gonna try it out on her?"**

"Yes."

**"And what if it works? What will you do if you end up having a 'spare'?"**

"You shouldn't speak of things like that as if they were meaningless. If it works, then you will not be allowed to touch it. Got it?"

**"Whatever. Not like I need another one anyway."**

"Glad we understand each other."

I had now reached the courtyard. Many of my servants were gathered here, either talking, fighting, or drinking. I stepped into the center of the courtyard so that my voice would not be drowned under all the chatter.

"General Wrath!" I called.

White Steel Wrath quietly emerged from the crowd and approached me. "Yes, master Fury?"

"I have a task for you."

"What are your orders?"

"It seems that some of our strongest warriors were eliminated in a recent attack. Those fools think that by joining forces with one another they stand a chance."

"And what would you have me do?"

"Take your vanguard and teach them a lesson. Kill their strongest warrior. I don't suppose I have to explain who that would be?"

A smile crept onto Wrath's face. "Of course not, master. In fact, one of my vanguard has a vendetta of sorts with him, as do I."

"All the more reason not to fail then."

"When should we leave?"

I gave him the most sinister smile I could muster before answering. **"Immediately."**

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun! Lol hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I would like it if I could get up to at least 5 reviews either before or during chapter 10, but if I get them soon I will work as much as possible ot get chapter 10 done asap. Till next time! DarkNovelist out.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Rise of the Vanguard**

* * *

**Team 2's Phantom, at the same time…**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

The ride to the rift we would be investigating was long. So since we had some spare time, I tried to make contact with Yuu again. Once again though, that unknown force forced me away from my other half's conscience.

"Ugh!" I grunted as the force shoved me back to reality. "(sigh) dammit, rejected again."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Saya standing beside me. She stared sympathetically at me with her luminescent red eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that wherever she is, she's safe." she said, then gave me a reassuring smile.

I breathed a sigh of relief and returned the smile. "Thanks Saya."

"Listen up back there. We will be entering the rift in a few minutes." the pilot's voice growled through the cargo hold.

"We better get ready." Saya said.

"Yeah." I responded.

I took hold of the roof of the ship, and I saw the others do the same. Ichigo and Mikoto looked excited and ready while Akira was fairly stoic as usual, but for some reason Inoue looked upset. She wasn't smiling like usual, and she hadn't looked at Ichigo once since we got on board. Strange, considering it was blatantly obvious how she felt towards him. I decided to ask her about it later as I noticed the rift drawing near us. It was incredibly large, almost as tall as a building. We had no trouble fitting our ship through the rift as we left Earl for another world.

When we came out on the other side of the rift, we were flying over a strange city that looked like an assortment of buildings built around an enormous island like hill, with walkways connecting it to a nearby tower and another city on the mainland. On a bridge below, people wearing priest like uniforms carrying firearms and books were fighting with strange metallic creatures, some humanoid, some like hounds, and a few that flew around with open discs on their sides. Among the humans was a scantily clad woman with long fiery red and gold hair wielding a purple katana. She seemed to be their leader, as well as the only one making an impact against the strange machines. _At that rate, it won't be long before they're overrun._ I realized.

"Pilot!" I yelled over the sounds of battle below. "Those people down there need our help! Anyway you can put us down?"

"Sorry warrior, but the battle is too fierce! I cannot set us down without endangering the ship!" replied the Elite piloting our ship.

I looked back at the battle. The human forces were pressed back against a gate leading onto the hill. It was then that I had an extremely dangerous idea.

"Pilot, can you open the cargo doors?"

"Yes, but why would-" the Elite then seemed to realize my intention. "If you're thinking about jumping, then you must be determined to die. We are at least 200ft in the air, you'd never survive the fall."

"It would take more than a nasty fall to kill me, pilot. Now open the doors!"

I heard the Elite sigh. "Very well, but do not blame me for the consequences!"

The side doors opened, and I could feel the rush of the wind on my face. "Once I've cleared an area to land, I'll signal you!"

The Elite nodded his head in response. I then turned my attention to Saya.

"Saya, I'll need your help. There's no telling how many of those things are down there."

Saya smiled and nodded. "I would follow you even if you didn't ask."

With that, the two of us leapt towards the ground below, sword and fists ready. Our impact was softened by the pair of humanoid machines that we landed on just before touching the ground. The machines growled at us in shrill metallic tones before coming at us with some kind of solidified light energy weapons. Saya and I quickly set to work, cutting and smashing the machines as they attempted to cross the bridge. One of the humanoids pointed its right arm at me and fired a huge swirling charge of red energy. I dodged the blast, and as it struck the ground behind me the charge split into several other charges, which then detonated in a circle around the point of impact. Converting my gloved hands into a pair of quad-barreled mini-guns, I returned fire on the machine, and continued to unload bullet after bullet until the only thing left of the mechanical creatures were piles of scrap metal. Having cleared the bridge, Saya and I went over to the scantily clad woman, who gave us a mildly impressed look.

"Thanks for your help there. Now, who the hell are you?" the woman said in a very laid back tone of voice.

"My name is Strength, and this is my friend Saya. We've come here to your world to help get rid of creatures like those and gather information to help determine who's behind all this. Who are you?" I responded.

"Name's Shura. Pleased to meet ya."

"Likewise. Well Shura, could you be so kind as to tell me where we are?"

"Sure. This is True Cross Academy, a school for exorcists. I gotta say, those were the most heavy duty demons I've seen so far."

"I don't think they were demons, more like machines. Anyway, we've got more reinforcements with us, but they need a place to land. Anywhere you can think of that a spaceship as big as a small house could fit?"

Shura pointed to a building on the very top of the hill. "There, there's a big circular roof they could land on."

I thanked her for her help and sent the directions to the pilot. After hearing confirmation of a landing, Shura spoke to me again.

"Hey, you're here to help right?"

"Yes."

"Well I just got word that there are loads more of those things running around in the academy. Considering how quickly you dealt with the ones from before, I'd like it if you and your friends could help take care of them."

"Of course, they'd be happy to help."

I relayed the instructions to my allies before Saya and I followed Shura to the next area under attack. While we went through the grounds of the academy, we met up with Yukio, Ryuji, Shima, and Izumo, some of Shura's students and allies. With our combined strengths and powers, we quickly purged the academy of the creatures. When we were finished, my allies and Shura's allies gathered around in a clearing inside a forest spanning part of the academy. While we were introducing ourselves, a young man with short black hair, pointed ears, and blue eyes and a somewhat busty girl with blonde hair and green eyes joined us in the clearing.

"Rin Okumura, what took you so long?" Ryuji, a young man with spiky brown hair with a blonde streak of the middle said angrily.

The man with black hair shrugged. "There were a lot of those things running around, so Shiemi and I had to take care of them." he answered plainly. "Why are we even out here anyway?"

"Because it would be rude of you not to meet the people who helped save our school, brother." said Yukio. Unlike his brother, who carried a sword, Yukio wore glasses and wielded two pistols.

Rin looked over at us, as if noticing us for the first time. "Oh, hey there! I'm Rin, Rin Okumura. And this is my friend, Shiemi."

"It's nice to meet you." the blonde girl said cheerfully.

"I am Strength, and these are my friends Saya, Ichigo, Mikoto, Inoue, and Akira. We are pleased to meet you as well." I said.

After finishing introductions, Shura had us sit down and get to business. I explained to her friends the reason for us coming to their world, finishing with the invitation to join our alliance and asking them for any useful information.

"Well that depends, what do you know about the enemy so far?" asked Yukio.

"Not much, I'm afraid. We know that whoever they are, they have the power to raise the dead, and whenever someone in their power dies, they are cremated by blue flames." I answered.

At the mention of blue flames, everyone in Shura's group tensed and went wide-eyed, except for Rin, whose face became a ferocious glare.

"Did you say…that the person responsible…uses blue flames?" he said, anger rising in his tone.

"Yes…"

Rin looked over at Yukio. "Bro, do you think it could be…"

Yukio nodded, reflecting his brother's glare. "It certainly looks that way."

"Wait, do you know who's behind all this?" Ichigo asked.

"I believe so."

"Who is it? Who attacked our worlds and murdered our friends?"

Yukio pushed his glasses to the top of his nose. "Whoever they are, they are most likely connected to Satan."

My allies and I were taken aback by this, and I was the first to recover and ask. "Satan? As in the devil?"

Yukio nodded. "Those blue flames are the sign of his power."

"How do you know this?"

Rin shot a look at Yukio, as if silently asking something. Yukio nodded and Rin stood up. Rin then drew his sword from its sheathe, and suddenly both he and his sword were covered in blue flames. Rin's ears also grew longer and pointier, and a furry tail with a flaming tip sprouted from his back.

"We know this, because we are his sons." Yukio said. His features had changed just like his brother's.

"Don't think that we're you're enemies just because we're related to that bastard. I won't stop fighting him until he's beaten." Rin said.

I was so surprised by this newfound knowledge, that I failed to notice that new figures had entered the clearing. It wasn't until I heard the whooshing sound of flying swords sail past my head and impale themselves in Yukio that I realized we were being ambushed.

"Yukio…" Rin stammered.

His twin's eyes slowly drifted from the swords lodged in his gut to his sibling.

"Bro…ther…" Yukio stuttered. Then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"Yukio!"

As Rin knelt by his sibling's corpse, I turned around to face our attackers. My heart sank as I saw what we were up against.

"We meet again, Strength." said White Steel Wrath.

The pale man was standing a short distance away from our groups, along with a golden haired man in gold armor (whom I recognized from the tournament to be Gilgamesh), a young boy with white hair and snake like pink eyes, a dark haired man in white robes with an eye patch, another man in similar robes with pale skin and green eyes with yellow pupils, and a young girl with brown hair wearing only a tattered cloak. The girl stared at us blankly.

"White Steel Wrath…so you really are back." Ichigo stated as he readied Zangetsu.

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Kurosaki."

"Why are you here, Wrath?" I demanded.

"Can't a man just say hello?"

"Assholes don't drop by to say 'hello'."

"Short tempered as always, I see. Fine, I'll get straight to the point: I have been ordered by my master to teach you brats a lesson, and have brought along the Vanguard in order to do so."

"I take it you mean your little group of cronies you've got here?"

"The fuck did that little bitch just say?!" growled the man with the eye patch. He held a long pole with two large crescent shaped blades fused at their curves at the top.

"Easy, Nnoitra. That trash isn't worth it." the green eyed man said calmly. His gaze showed not the slightest shred of emotion.

"Shut it Ulquiorra! I'll say whatever I feel like saying!" Nnoitra countered.

"Putting their petty arguments aside, yes, we are the Vanguard." Steel Wrath continued. "The six of us standing before you are the most powerful warriors that serve under our master."

This was not good. We outnumbered them 12 to 6, but I could tell from Wrath's words and the look of these creeps that the odds were not in our favor. When the fighting started, this was gonna get real ugly real fast. We split up to equally divide our fighting power against the Vanguard. Saya and I were to do battle with Nnoitra, Rin and Ryuji against Gilgamesh, Shura and Shiemi against the girl, Ichigo and Inoue against Wrath, Izumo and Shima against Ulquiorra, and Akira and Mikoto were left to face the boy.

"Hello again, girls! Did you miss me?" said the boy.

"Nagi!" Mikoto and Akira both yelled.

"Aww, you remember me! How sweet. So then…" Nagi's clothing became black, and his hands became wickedly sharp claws. "shall we continue where we left off all those years ago?"

While Mikoto and Akira started fighting the boy, Shura and Shiemi were facing the girl in the tattered cloak. The girl only stood there staring at them, until…

"Priscilla, how are you feeling?" asked Steel Wrath.

"Hungry…" the girl responded.

"And what are you hungry for?"

"…innards…"

"Well don't look now, but there are two tasty morsels standing right in front of you."

Priscilla looked at Shura and Shiemi as if noticing them for the first time. She licked her lips.

"So…hungry…grrrrrr…"

Inhuman growls came out of Priscilla's mouth as she suddenly underwent a grotesque transformation. Her skin turned purple, she grew to a height of 7ft, her fingers were replaced with claws, her hair turned a pale blonde, a single horn grew from the center of her head, her eyes became a beastly gold, and a pair of huge wings sprouted from her back. In the midst of this transformation, her cloak had been torn to shreds, leaving the monstrous woman before us completely nude.

"Priscilla!" Steel Wrath called.

Her half opened eyes drifted lazily towards him.

"You'll want this, they won't go down easily."

Wrath tossed a large claymore toward Priscilla, which she caught with a minimum of effort. The monster then turned back to Shura and Shiemi.

"Time for a little snack." she said in a more mature voice than her childish human form.

I turned to the opponent Saya and I would be facing. Nnoitra was smiling cockily at us, his weapon resting on his shoulder.

"Heh, you're gonna regret that comment of yours, little bitch." he said, staring straight at me.

"We'll see about that." I countered.

He readied his weapon, and Saya and I did the same with ours. We rushed forward, attacking as one with sword and fists. Nnoitra was able to stop Saya's massive sword with his weapon, but my fist slammed into his gut. Surprisingly, he didn't go flying. He just smiled wider at us.

"That all you got?" he snorted as he pushed us back.

Confused, we decided to try striking one more time. This time my fists were blocked, and Saya's sword cut against his shoulder. Nnoitra was only mildly cut by the attack, and his shoulder started to turn red.

"Huh, so maybe this will be interesting after all."

We continued to attack him relentlessly, and he would fight back with reckless swipes that we easily dodged. But after about 10 attempts to crush him, Nnoitra was still only lightly wounded.

"My turn, bitches." he snarled. Then he raised his weapon. "Pray, Santa Teresa!" (praying mantis)

An explosion of yellow energy engulfed Nnoitra, concealing him from view. When the swirling mass of power cleared, Nnoitra's eye patch was gone, revealing a hole where his eye should be. He had also grown a pair of curved horns, and now had four arms, each of which held a single bladed version of his initial weapon.

"Time to die." he said before charging at us.

Now that he had four arms, he struck at both me and Saya simultaneously. Though his attacks were reckless and lacked precision, it was difficult to defend against the multiple blades. Saya managed to find an opening in his attacks, and thrust her sword forward. Nnoitra grunted as the large sword sliced through his right arms. Saya then followed the attack with a strike at his left arms, using the serrated back edge of her sword to mercilessly severe them from Nnoitra's body. Nnoitra only smiled at this. Suddenly, all of his arms grew back, with the addition of two more than before.

"Nice try, bitch!" Nnoitra yelled.

He then focused all his attacks on Saya, who struggled to keep the whirling blades at bay. Nnoitra used the combined force of all his weapons to push Saya's sword against the ground. He then opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. On it was a tattoo in the form of a '5'. A ball of yellow energy formed on the tip of his tongue, and then it surged toward Saya in a yellow beam. Saya flew backwards, striking her head against one of the many trees in the clearing.

"Saya!" I cried.

"Now it's your turn!" yelled Nnoitra as he flung himself at me.

I soon found myself lying on my stomach, knocked to the ground by the hilts of his weapons.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Nnoitra taunted. "Now, hold still while I take that stupid head of yours off your shoulders!"

Anger was boiling up inside from both his words and the fact that he had severely hurt my oldest friend. His blades came down, but they never touched my neck.

_WHACK!_

Nnoitra skidded backward in surprise, confused at the sudden large bruise on his stomach.

"The hell?"

"You son of a bitch…" I started, body shaking with rage. "I'll kill you!"

I cringed as I felt a pair of large constructs burst from my back. I heard the whir and clank of metal taking shape behind me before standing up. I moved the objects protruding from my back in front of me, and saw that I now had another pair of completely mechanical arms. Nnoitra glared at me with annoyance and confusion.

"What the hell is this?!" he demanded angrily.

"**Your death."** was all I said. My voice had suddenly become distorted.

With a roar, I charged at him with all four of my arms. He tried to stop me with his blades. I grabbed the weapons and snapped them in half as though they were twigs, then grabbing his arms with my extras, I proceeded to rapidly punch him. My mind started going blank with anger and I increased the force behind my already powerful fists. It was as though some monstrous power had awoken in me, and the only way to release it was by ruthlessly pounding the bastard in front of me. I pulled my right fist back to build up power before thrusting it at Nnoitra's face. The immense force behind my punch sent him flying backwards. He finally met the ground some 50 feet away. With a single superhuman leap, I was standing above his horribly beaten body.

"**Now, die!"** I yelled.

I raised all of my fists to deliver a final crushing blow.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ichigo's voice suddenly cried out.

The noise was enough to snap me out of my rage-induced trance. I turned to where Ichigo had been battling with Steel Wrath. Ichigo was on his knees, his arms were no longer attached to his body, as they lay in a bloody heap next to him, still clutching his large sword. White Steel Wrath stood above him, axe stained red with Ichigo's blood. Wrath saw me out of the corner of his eye and raised the tip of his axe to Ichigo's throat.

"That's enough, Strength. Look around, you've lost." he said.

I looked at the rest of my allies. Rin and Ryuji were pinned to the ground by Gilgamesh's swords, Shura and Shiemi were tangled in whip like tentacles that had sprouted from the joints in Priscilla's wings, dozens of copies of Nagi had Mikoto and Akira surrounded, and Shima and Izumo's burnt corpses lay side by side at Ulquiorra's feet. Inoue was standing a few feet behind Ichigo, terrified at what had just transpired. While I was looking away, Nnoitra got up and knocked me to the ground with a strike from behind. I felt Nnoitra's foot go on top of my back, pinning me to the ground.

"While you're down there, pay attention." Steel Wrath said. He then turned to Ichigo. "Well Mr. Kurosaki, it seems that you have lost. When I strike you down, you will not return. But I am not without honor, and out of respect for your bravery and power I will allow you your final words."

Wrath stepped back, and Ichigo's eyes drifted painfully over to me.

"Strength…I need you…to do something for me…" he stammered.

I managed to nod from where I lay.

"Tell Rukia…I'm sorry…"

Before I could respond, Steel Wrath took his axe, and with one powerful swing removed Ichigo's head from his shoulders.

"And so falls the mightiest of your band of misfits." Wrath proclaimed. Then he knelt down and pried Zangetsu from Ichigo's hands, holding it triumphantly. "Zangetsu, a fine blade indeed. I think I'll keep it as my reward."

I was about to yell at him, but Nnoitra's foot pressed harder against my back and silenced me.

"Hey, what do we do with all these dumbasses?" Nnoitra asked.

Steel Wrath slung Zangetsu across his back before turning around. "The rest of us will head back to the fortress. You will stay and deal with them. However, be sure to bring Strength with you when you're done, alive. After what I just saw, I'm sure Fury would be very interested in meeting her."

"**Fury?"** I managed to growl.

"Yes, that is the name of our master. Priscilla, Gilgamesh, Nagi, Ulquiorra, come."

"Wait." Ulquiorra said.

"What for?"

Ulquiorra's emotionless gaze drifted over to Inoue, who was still standing in shock after seeing Ichigo murdered. Ulquiorra extended his hand toward her.

"Woman, would you like to come with me?" he asked.

Inoue seemed to hear him, but looked unsure of how to respond.

"That man did not love you, did he?"

Inoue's eyes went wide at this new statement, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. She sadly shook her head. "No, he didn't. I finally got the courage to confess to him, but he told me he was in love with Kuchiki instead."

Now her odd behavior made sense. It was easy for anyone to tell how much she loved Ichigo, and it was even more obvious how hurt she was by his rejection. I expected Inoue to turn down Ulquiorra's offer, but to my horror she walked over to him and took his hand.

"I will go with you."

Ulquiorra nodded. All of the Vanguard besides Nnoitra gathered around. A portal opened behind them, and they began to step through.

"**Why Inoue? Why ab**andon us?" I cried out. My voice was returning to normal.

"You've never had your heart broken, you could never understand."

With that, she and Ulquiorra left with the others through the portal. The portal collapsed the moment after they had all left through it, leaving Nnoitra to finish off my allies. The one eyed man bent down so he could speak into my ear.

"Just because I can't kill you, don't think-" he began.

_WHACK!_

Nnoitra was suddenly silenced by something heavy that flew past my head. Free of the tall man's presence on my back, I looked up to get a view of my savior. Standing next to me was a young woman with pale skin and faded grey eyes with long and unruly white hair. The woman wore a black dress with a silver skull like design across the front, with what looked like the lower half of a jawbone as its collar. She had stilettos with blades on the back for shoes, and claw-like gloves over her hands. In her hands was a huge mace with what appeared to be six skulls fused together as the mace head. Her ringed iris's and pale skin were a dead giveaway that whoever this woman was, she was an otherworlder.

"Can you stand?" the woman asked. Her voice was calm and commanding.

"Yes." I replied before rising to my feet.

"I've contacted your pilot, he should arrive shortly. Until then, help me gather the wounded." the woman turned and headed in the direction of Rin and Ryuji.

"Wait, what about Nnoitra?"

"You don't have to worry about him anymore."

I looked at the tall man's still body. The upper portion of his face was gone, most likely smashed by the woman's large mace.

"Who are you?"

The woman stopped for a moment. Then she turned toward me. "You may call me…Black Silver Maul."

* * *

Shortly after, I returned to Fuuka Palace with my remaining companions and the mysterious Silver Maul. When our Phantom arrived at the landing platform, Rukia and Renji were waiting for us. I walked off the drop ship, silently praying that I would not have to answer the question I knew would destroy the short woman.

"Hey, where's Mai?" I heard Mikoto ask behind me.

I glanced back at Rukia. Her expression said the same thing as mine. I saw her whisper to Mikoto the knowledge that I could easily guess was the fact that Mai was dead. As Mikoto began to break out in tears, Rukia solemnly turned away from the young girl and walked over to me. She stared right into my eyes.

"Strength, where is Ichigo?" she asked.

It took all the courage in the world for me to look her in the eye and answer.

"He's gone. Ichigo Kurosaki…is dead."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Grief**

**Warning: M rated content in the first half.**

* * *

**Fuuka Palace**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

"He's gone. Ichigo Kurosaki...is dead." the words still rang in my head.

I didn't react at first. How could I, when it was so unbelievable? I kept hoping that Ichigo would pop up from some hiding place and tell me it was just a prank. But Strength never lied, and the honesty in her tone told me how regretful she was to tell me this.

I held back a wave of tears before I spoke again. "And Inoue?"

"She left with a man named Ulquiorra. She's left us for the enemy." Strength responded.

"What? But why would she do something like-"

"Because she confessed to Ichigo and he rejected her. She was jealous because Ichigo was in love with you instead of her."

_SMACK!_

Strength stared at me in surprise as a red handprint began to spread across her cheek. I suddenly realized what I had just done, and what I was about to do again. I lowered my hand so that I wouldn't cause the small girl any more harm.

"Sorry." was all I said before turning around and leaving.

I didn't tell anyone where I was going, I needed to be alone. Arriving at my room, I casually opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it again behind me. I changed out of my armor and into a bathrobe. Now alone in the sanctity of my room, I let out all my tears. _He loved me...that damn fool loved me...why didn't I see it before? _ I thought as I lay down to muffle my cries in my pillow. _Ichigo...why didn't you just tell me? If you would have just opened up, I would have told you the truth...I would have told you how much I loved you. You damn fool. _After what felt like hours crying over my shattered heart, I heard a knock on my door. I did my best to wipe away my tears before standing up and walking to the door.

"Who is it?" I asked as I opened the door. Renji stood on the other side, wearing his soul reaper uniform.

"Just me." Renji said.

"What is it, Renji?"

"I came to inform you that Team 3 hasn't returned yet. And I have a message from Siegfried."

"What does he want?"

"He wanted me to tell you to take as long as you need. He won't force you to train when you won't be able to focus on the battle."

"I see...I'll keep that in mind. "I started to close the door.

Renji stopped it with his foot. "Can I come in?"

As much as I wanted to be alone right now, I couldn't turn him down. Besides, I've known Renji for nearly my entire life.

"Yeah, go ahead." I said after a moment.

Renji nodded and entered. He took a seat in a nearby chair, while sat on the edge of my bed.

"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" I asked.

"Yeah. How are you doing?" Renji replied.

"Good." I lied.

"Bullshit. Your eyes are way too red, Rukia."

"(sigh) I never could hide anything from you, could I?"

"Not a chance, I've known you way too long."

I chuckled slightly at this. "Yeah, I guess you have."

Neither of us said a word for a few moments.

Finally, Renji broke the silence. "I know how you felt about him."

His words startled me, I hadn't been expecting him to say something like that. Before I could respond, he stood up and walked over to me. Renji's fierce eyes stared directly into mine.

"How did you know?" I asked him.

"I know you better than anyone, Rukia. I know I'm not the brightest person around-"

"You can say that again."

"-but that doesn't mean I'm clueless. I heard you crying, and you don't do that unless you're really hurt." He put his hands on my shoulders. "You don't have to hide your true feelings around me. I promised I would take care of you, remember?"

"Only because you were ordered to..." I said, averting my gaze.

Renji's expression grew dark. He wrapped his arms around me, holding my small body tightly against his large chest. "I'm not talking about orders. I promised to watch over you long before the attack."

"Renji?" this was very unlike the Renji I knew. He was never this...affectionate.

"Ichigo wasn't the only one who...cared...about you." he spoke as if he wasn't sure how to word what he was trying to say.

"What are you saying?" I could already guess the answer, but I wanted him to say it himself.

I could feel his breath on my shoulder as he sighed. "Look, I'm not good at this kind of thing, so don't blame me if this sounds corny, okay?"

I nodded against his chest. I felt him heave slightly as he drew in a deep breath. He relaxed his grip and knelt down to look me in the eye.

"Rukia Kuchiki...I love you." it was blunt and straightforward, as it usually is with him.

Still, even though I knew what was coming I couldn't help but feel surprised. I sat there, staring deeply into his red eyes. Then right as I was about to say something, he did something else I never thought he would do. He gently cupped the side of my face, closed his eyes, and kissed me. I suddenly felt as though I had made a mistake in choosing the one I longed for. Still, it wasn't like I could just forget my feelings for Ichigo just like that. And yet, I felt warm and safe in his big arms, as if nothing evil could ever touch me. Something about his lips on mine felt so right. I found myself subconsciously wrapping may arms around his neck and kissing him back. When it started to get hard to breath, our lips parted. We stared at each other for a moment, both of us surprised by what he had done, and how I had reacted.

"Uh...um...I uh...sorry..." Renji stammered. His face was reddening as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, I didn't mean to surprise you like that. So, I guess...I'll just... be leaving then."

He turned to leave but stopped when I grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" I said, feeling my own cheeks flush.

He nervously looked back at me, most likely expecting the face kick I usually gave when I was pissed. It was hard not to laugh at his flushed expression when I pressed my lips against his.

"Don't go...please..." I pleaded. "I...I don't want to be alone...not again..."

He looked at me confusedly for a few moments before his face became serious again. He took hold of my shoulders again and gently lowered my back onto my bed.

"Are you really okay with this? Even if I'm not him?" he asked as he brushed a hand softly against my cheek.

I took hold of his hand and smiled up at him. "Yes. Because you did the one thing he never could. You had the guts to tell me how you really felt, even though you were afraid I might reject you."

"So, is the feeling mutual? Or are you just doing this out of friendship?"

Rolling my eyes, I reached up and pulled his face down to an inch above mine. "What do you think, idiot?"

He smiled and chuckled lightly. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

"Glad you straightened that out. Now shut up and kiss me."

Smiling, he brought our lips together once more. I felt his hand run through my hair as I placed a hand on his back. I was surprised at first when I felt his tongue brush against my mine, but relaxed when I reached out with my own, deepening the kiss as our tongues danced with each other. We continued on like this for a few minutes, when I felt something rub against my thigh. I nearly froze when I realized that his hands were occupied with my head and back, leaving only one explanation for what I just felt. Renji was aroused. Big time. He seemed to realize this when I paused in the middle of kissing him. Guilt quickly spread across his face when he saw me staring down between our legs.

"Uh...uh..." he stuttered.

"Um, do you...want to...go further?" I asked, slightly ashamed.

"Uh...only if its alright with you."

"M-maybe we should take this slowly since...I'm a...you know..." I glanced to the side.

"A what? I don't understand."

I sighed in annoyance before looking back at him. "I'm a virgin, okay? I've never done this before!"

"Oh...yeah..." he said, slightly ashamed. "Uh, if it makes you feel better, this is...also...my first time. I'm not entirely sure how to go about this..."

The knowledge reassured me somewhat, and I nodded. "I guess, you would start by, touching my breasts..." I guessed, a little excited at the idea.

"Sure, let's start with that..."

Slowly, Renji reached out and undid the sash around my robe. I could feel his hands shaking slightly as he pulled it open, exposing my bare chest. His face turned red as a beet as he took in the sight of my exposed breasts. His face then looked slightly disappointed.

"What? Is something wrong with me?" I asked worriedly.

"They're...kinda small..." I was about to sit up and sock him in the face before he added "but then again, I did think your small body was your best feature."

That saved him from a broken nose. This time. I let out a startled moan as he gripped my breasts, then even more as he began to massage them. _Look at me now, making these lewd sounds. If Byakuya was here I'd never hear the end of it._ I thought as he stroke over my nipples with his thumbs. He went on like this for a bit, eventually mustering the courage to kiss me while he touched my breasts. I started getting turned on by this, and had to force myself not to raise my voice in ecstasy. Finally, Renji looked at me and ran a hand across my cheek.

"Do you think you're ready for...the real thing?" he asked nervously.

I hesitated for a moment at the thought of him touching me...down there...with his...I settled on 'thing'. Taking a deep breath, I nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

He nodded and started to undress. I copied as I removed my robe. I hesitated again as I reached down to take off the last piece of clothing I had on. With a sigh, I slid my panties down and off my legs before discarding them. I sat down at the edge of my bed again and waited for Renji to finish, quietly admiring his ass as he took off the last of his robes. _Huh...I never noticed how sexy he really is. _I thought. Finished undressing, Renji turned around to face me, and I nearly screamed when I saw his manhood. _There...is no way...that thing...will fit...inside me!_ While I was having my internal panic attack, Renji was gazing straight down at my entrance. He tilted his head as if to get a better look at it, making me instinctively cross my legs to cover it.

"Don't tell me there's something wrong with down there too?" I said.

"No, I've just never seen a girl's vagina before..." I thought I heard him mutter "At least, not in person anyway."

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing! So um, I guess, you should...spread your legs...or something."

"Uh, y-yea...I probably should."

I was getting more and more nervous as I reclined onto my bed and opened my legs before him. Renji looked just as nervous as he positioned his manhood at my entrance.

"Rukia, are you absolutely sure about this?" he asked one final time.

I appreciated his offer, but I knew that it would only be foolish to back out now. And I wouldn't admit it, but I was actually curious about what it felt like to actually 'do it'.

"Yes, I'm sure. Just try to be gentle okay,?"

Renji nodded. "Well, here we go..."

I bit my lip so hard that I drew blood to keep from crying out in pain when I felt him slide inside me. Renji seemed to notice this.

"Oh shit, Rukia! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"I-I'll be fine! Just give me a second to get used to it." _Of course I'm not alright! __That fucking hurt, dumbass! Don't just shove it all the way in!_

A moment passed, and I grew used to the feeling of him inside me.

Renji seemed to sense this, because then he asked "Rukia, I'm going to start moving now, okay?"

I took a deep breath to prepare myself. Breathing out, I nodded. "Okay."

Renji nodded, and his hips began to slowly rock back and forth as he slid in and out of me. It hurt at first, but I soon found myself moving my own hips to match his rhythm as the pain slowly turned to pleasure. I clutched my bed sheets tightly when he started to speed up his thrusts. Both of us were grunting and moaning from the pleasure at this point. I felt my release building up inside, and it mounted with each rock of our hips. Judging by the look on Renji's face, he was nearing the same point.

"Oh crap, Rukia, I'm not gonna last much longer!" he said between grunts.

Realizing what he meant, I quickly did some mental calculations. "I-its okay. Its not-Aaah! that time yet! So, you can let it out inside..."

Renji gave me a hasty nod in acknowledgement. "Oh god, here it comes!"

We both let out a long moan as I felt his warmth flow into me. Exhausted, Renji and I collapsed onto my bed. My eyelids felt heavy, and I closed them as I began to drift into sleep.

"Rukia...I love you..." I heard Renji whisper in my ear.

I felt around for his hand, intertwining our fingers when I found it. I smiled and wrapped my other arm around the tall man laying on top of me.

"Thank you, Renji. I love you..."

* * *

**Team 3, Somewhere in the Otherworld, at the same time...**

* * *

**_Notokishi_**

* * *

To say the Otherworld was a dark place would be an understatement. Everywhere you looked, there were either crumbling, ruined buildings, or the endless rocky plains and trenches that spanned most of the world. The sky was a starless pitch black, and the only light came from the white full moon. It reminded me far too much of a night three years ago, when Kaia had fallen into darkness. The moon shone just as brightly then, a perfect light for the black wings she bore. But now was not the time for me to dwell on the past, I have to think about my present situation. We had come through the rift just as planned, and ended up in some city where this weird blue haired kid showed up out of nowhere and grabbed Tohsaka, thenh disappeared before we could even react. While we were in that place, we came across some girl named Homura, and she decided to come with us. I gotta admit, the kid reminds me a lot of myself when I look at her. Beautiful, long flowing hair, far more powerful than she looked, the weight of the world on her shoulders, and even with the same taste in...I'll just say 'romantic partners'. Anyway, Homura hooked up with us and we headed back to the Phantom, but when we got there the ship had been split in two by this tall guy in white armor who had a huge axe and a slightly less huge sword.

"White Steel Wrath!" Saber had yelled.

That seemed to be his name, because the man then turned toward us and gave us the creepiest smile I had ever seen.

"Why hello, Saber. Fancy meeting you here." he had responded.

"Wait a minute, isn't that Ichigo's sword?"

Steel Wrath looked at the large sword in his hand. "The very same."

"Why do you have that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I killed Ichigo Kurosaki and took his sword as my own. Simple as that."

"You...killed Ichigo?"

Even I was surprised at this. I didn't know Ichigo as well as most of the others, but I could tell he was damn powerful. If this White Steel Wrath guy had taken him out, then he must be someone high up among our enemies. Verona was already at my side, with her Robe materialized. Without a second thought, I drew my sword.

"Saber, am I right in assuming this man is a powerful foe?" I asked.

"You are. In fact he might be the second most powerful enemy we have." Saber responded.

"With all six of us here, do you think we stand a chance against him?"

"I'm afraid you won't have the chance to find out." said Wrath.

He raised both of his weapons in the air, then struck and the ground. A gigantic rift began to grow from where he he struck, and we were all sucked into it. Steel Wrath laughed maniacally as we began to fall through.

"No! Damn you!" yelled Saber as we fell.

Verona had swept down and caught me before I hit the ground. Saber landed perfectly on her feet, as did Homura, who almost hovered instead of fell, and the rest were saved by Midori's enormous Child, Gakutenou.

And that's how we ended up here. Saber knew enough about the place to identify the world, but knew nothing about where we were. That is, until she spotted some ruins in the distance. Somehow, she was able to distinguish the pile of rubble from among all the others that lay around us. I didn't have a better plan, so we decided to head to the ruins. Who knows, maybe there we'll find some way of communicating with our base. When we got within about 30 feet of the ruins, the Arbiter signaled for us to stop. I could hear the faint sound of voices on the other side of the ruins. The Arbiter motioned for us to stick to the shadows and get a better look. Verona, Saber, and I took to the right, while Midori, Arbiter, and Homura took to the left. I took point and crept as close as I dared to get to whoever was speaking. Leaning against the ruined wall, I listened to what the voices were saying.

"Rex Owen, we finally meet, face to face." said what sounded like an elderly man.

"Trotejy, you bastard! Where are Zoe, Mayura, Tohsaka, Rin, and every other girl that's fallen for me?" said a young teenage boy's voice.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about them for much longer, seeing as how you won't leave here alive." answered the old man.

"Rex? Trotejy? What are they doing here?" Saber whispered. Then a very girly scream rang out from where the group was talking. "Notokishi, try to get a look at what's going on."

I nodded. I found a small hole in the wall and peered through it. I saw a short old man standing next to a tall blonde French looking man with a rapier and a yellow and black ninja with twin swords slung across his back. The ninja held a small, burning body stripped of all its flesh in his hand before dropping it. _Well, that must have been the one who was screaming._ I thought. I also noticed three young men, one blonde with a sword, one a brunette with a tricerotops-esque hat, and one with black hair and a shield. There were also two young girls, one with long black hair, red eyes, and a kimono, and the other with pink hair, yellow eyes, and a schoolgirl uniform.

"As you can see, my associate has lent me some powerful allies." said the old man, Trotejy.

"Holy crap! Rex, did you see that? That guy just incinerated Beast Boy like he was nothing!" said the brunette boy.

The blonde, Rex, facepalmed. "Max, that's because Beast Boy _was_ nothing. It's not like killing him is gonna intimidate us." he said.

"Oh, I've got more than just these two." Trotejy said.

As if on command, a tall humanoid monster with a dual ended staff and a gargantuan man with a giant axe appeared out of thin air.

"Well, well, well, never thought I'd see him again." I whispered.

I recognized the gargantuan man as Astaroth, a golem my sister had fought during our war with Nightmare. If those kids were to fight him, as well as that other large beast, they would be dead within seconds. I pressed a button on a wrist communicator the Arbiter had given us before heading out.

"Arbiter, there are five kids here. They look like heroes around Homura's age. There's also a bunch of strong villains here. If we don't help them out, those kids are toast." I reported.

"I see. Alright, we attack on my signal then." The Arbiter responded.

I quietly drew my sword. Saber did the same, and Verona still had her Robe on from earlier. I heard the Arbiter yell, followed by the sound of his energy sword activating. With that, I withdrew from my hiding place and charged at Astaroth.

"Hey! Muscle brain! Remember me?" I yelled as I swung at him.

Astaroth blocked my sword just before I could reach his head. "You...who are you?"

"Don't remember? That's fine by me, you didn't get to fight me anyway, seeing as how my little sister killed your ass before you could."

"Sister? Wait-you're the sister of that maggot?! I'll crush you!"

He took a rage fueled swing at my side, which I easily evaded with a jump.

"Too slow." I said.

This time he swung down at my head. I sidestepped out of the path, then dashed forward, sword first. I heard the golem grunt in pain as my sword stabbed into his gut. I knew that wouldn't kill him, so I pulled my sword out and took a jumping slash at his face. Astaroth growled once before collapsing to the ground.

"Heh, looks like all that practice paid off. I didn't even need to use-"

I was interrupted by slash from the Frenchman I noticed earlier. I managed to dodge, and for the first time got a look at his blood red eyes.

"En guarde, belle fille." he said arrogantly. (belle fille = beautiful girl in French)

"Oh I'd love to, handsome, but then what would I tell my girlfriend?" I replied.

I got to enjoy his shocked expression just before a large shuriken flew by his head. The man stood still for a moment before his head fell from his body. Verona caught the shuriken as it flew back to her, then she frowned at the Frenchman's body.

"Pervert." she mocked.

"Relax, my love, you're the only one for me." I said soothingly before planting a kiss on Verona's soft cheek.

Looking around, I saw that the others had already defeated every other villain besides Trotejy. The bodies of the fallen villains then burst into blue flames, reducing the corpses to ash. The brunette boy stared up at me in fear and confusion.

"Whoa. Rex, when did Sephiroth join our side, and when did he get boobs and a red coat? And a hot girlfriend?" said Max, pointing at me.

"Excuse me, kid? I don't know who this Sephiroth guy is, but my name is Notokishi!" I said angrily.

The boy called Rex went over and smacked Max upside the head. "Sorry about that. As you can see, he's an idiot. He mistook you for someone with similar features."

"Okay, but if he insults me or Verona again, I might just have to kick his ass."

"So wait...if you're a girl...and you just kissed another girl...you're a lesbian?!" Max said, horrified.

_That does it! _I looked at Rex. "Can I hit him?"

Rex nodded. I gave Max the hardest bitchslap I had.

"Don't ever dis my sexual preference, kid. I've put up with enough crap to earn at least some respect. If you had said that in my country, I might have just executed you on the spout. So try to think next time you insult a princess." Max just stood there in shock.

"It seems we meet again, Rex." said Saber.

"It's good to see you again, Saber." Rex said.

"So, that man is Trotejy?" she pointed to the old man surrounded by our other allies.

Rex nodded. "That's the guy. He's been having his minions kidnap every girl that falls for me, including Tohsaka."

"So that's why she was kidnapped." Saber turned to me. "Notokishi, I think I might leave for a while to aid Rex and his allies. If he is on the path to rescuing Tohsaka, then I shall accompany him. It's what Shiro would have wanted, were he still alive..." Saber's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Shiro's...dead?"

Saber nodded.

"I...I'm sorry, Saber."

"He was slain by White Steel Wrath."

"The guy who ran the tournament?"

"The very same. Our enemy has resurrected him."

"Uh hey, sorry to interrupt your reunion and all, bought we have a bad guy to interrogate." I interjected.

They nodded, and we all went over to Trotejy.

"Give up, Trotejy! You're far too outnumbered, so don't even bother to fight back!" Rex said.

"Ah, but who said _I_ would be the one to fight you?" Trotejy laughed.

_Boom!_

The ground shook all around us.

"...What was that?" asked Midori.

"And that's my que to leave!" Trotejy said before disappearing.

"Wait-dammit!" yelled Rex.

_BooM!_

Whatever it was was getting closer.

"I sense an unbelievably high amount of negative emotional energy approaching." Homura said.

_BOOM!_

**"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAHHHH!"** came a bone chilling roar.

"Notokishi, what's wrong?" Verona asked.

I was shaking with fear. I knew the sound, I knew what it belonged too, and I knew that it was not normally that loud. The source of the quakes came into view, and immense hatred and fear suddenly sprang up in me as I spoke the name of the demon.

"Inferno."

The evil spirit of Soul Edge was towering above us, with all of his bones, roasted flesh, and hellfire. His entire body was ablaze with flame. However, something was very different about Inferno from the last time we fought. He was at least 50 feet tall now, and his legs, left arm, and helmet were all armored, and his right arm was in the same deformed state Siegfried's had been in when he was Nightmare. Ethereal red eyes shone through the slits in his helmet, and in his left hand he held the demon sword, whose eye glared at us in all its vile glory. This was no longer the spirit Inferno. No, this was the azure knight, Nightmare.

**"SSSOUUULLLLSSSSSS! FEED ME... YOUR SSOUUULLLSSSSSSSS!"** Nightmare roared.

"By the gods! What is that monster?" asked the Arbiter.

"That is the azure knight, Nightmare!" I declared.

"That THING is Nightmare?!" said everyone besides Verona. She had seen the armor before, so she recognized the monster.

"Yes! I don't know how, but the spirit of Soul Edge has possessed the armor, making itself Nightmare! And somehow, he's managed to consume enough souls to become a titan-sized monster! We stand no chance against that thing without Soul Calibur, run!"

We all ran as fast as we could from the titan. Nightmare followed behind us, slowly.

"Hey! Where did you guys come from?" yelled Rex over the boom of Nightmare's footsteps.

"Windbloom! Why do you ask?" I yelled back.

"I have a transporter! I can get us out of here!"

"Then do it already!"

We all gathered around Rex, and were transported away just as Nightmare's foot came down on us. When we returned to Windbloom, we were standing in the courtyard of Fuuka Palace. Kaia and Siegfried noticed us and came our way.

"Sis! Are you alright?" asked Kaia.

I looked at both her and Siegfried, allowing all of my newly acquired fear to show on my face.

"I saw him." I started. "He's coming."

"Who? Who is coming?" asked Siegfried.

"The azure knight. Nightmare."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Jealous Heart**

* * *

**The Otherworld, Fury's Fortress, the day after…**

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

"Master, I have returned." said White Steel Wrath.

The tall, pale man was standing a few feet away from where I sat at one of the tables in the dining hall of my fortress. Other than the figure standing near the wall, whose face was hidden by shadows, we were completely alone. I took a sip of wine before addressing my general.

"Unfortunately. Report, Wrath." I said

"I have done as you asked, my vanguard and I have eliminated the strongest amongst our foes. I also opened a rift in another world on my way back."

"Good. Did you lose any of the vanguard?"

Steel Wrath sighed. "It seems Nnoitra has been slain. If not, he would have returned by now."

"A shame. Have Sephiroth take his place, he needs something to do."

"As you wish, master." he turned to leave, but it looked a little too rushed.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

He paused in mid-step. Standing up straight, Wrath stared at the exit in front of him.

"Actually, yes. It seems that Strength possesses a new kind of power. During the battle, she flew into a monstrous fit of rage. She grew a mechanical second pair of arms, and her entire body was engulfed in flames, though she may not have realized it herself. Her voice was also distorted slightly, almost like…" he trailed off.

"Like?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He turned around to face me. A sinister grin formed on his face.

"It seems you are not the only one affected by your current…condition. Perhaps it is because she is-"

"Shut up, Wrath." I growled.

"I'm only telling the truth, master. You and her are very much alike, after all."

At this, I had had enough. Before he could escape, I quickly stood up and closed my hand around his face, leaving his eyes open so I could stare directly into them.

"**I am nothing like her!"**

With a shout, I threw Wrath across the room and through the wall of the dining hall. I heard him groan a few times as he shoved rubble off of his body.

"**Get out of my sight!"** I demanded.

Wrath stood up, and scowled as he limped away. Once he had gone, I turned my attention to the figure standing in the shadows. A luminescent pair of ringed yellow orbs glared through the darkness at me, asking the same question they had been asking for the last two months: _Is it time?_

I smiled at the silent figure. "Don't worry, it seems they will be making a move soon. I will inform you when they do, and then you may claim what is rightfully yours."

An eerie hint of joy shone in the figure's eyes, and I could see the faint glow of a smile breaking out on their face.

"But do not forget," I continued. "you must also bring me what is mine. I am expecting you to succeed, do not make me regret giving you some of my power. I'll be watching when you leave."

The figure nodded, then proceeded to the nearest exit. I heard the faint whirring of spinning metal as they left the room.

* * *

**Garderobe Academy, around the same time…**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want us to help?" I said to the small group of people in front of me.

Rex nodded. "I appreciate the offer, but I've already got enough people to worry about."

"Does that include me?" asked Amu. The pink haired girl pouted slightly.

"Yes."

"Awww!" Amu blushed at this. Rex just rolled his eyes.

"**So you're Strength? I gotta say, you're pretty aptly named."** said a girl's voice from within Rex.

"Thanks Trione." I replied. I was a little surprised when she first spoke, but I was used to that sort of thing so I quickly got used to it.

I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I turned around to see Ai, a strange floating girl in a kimono.

"Uh, can I help you?"

"You are strange. I feel a strong connection between you and hell, but I do not know of you." Ai said.

"Uh, okay…" the girl gave me the creeps. I turned my attention to the only adult in the group of youths.

"I wish you luck, Saber. I hope you find Tohsaka."

The knight nodded. "The same to you, Strength. I pray you will find your other half."

"Hey guys, are you ready to go?" said Jil. The black haired boy and Max were standing a short distance away.

"Well, we better be on our way." said Rex. He and the rest of his group gathered together. "Thanks for everything, Strength."

With that, he disappeared to continue his own battle. I breathed a heavy sigh before making my way over to the conference building. Saya was standing at the door to the conference room, waiting for me.

"Any idea what this is about?" I asked.

"I don't know. Apparently, Notokishi and her group encountered something on their mission that scared the life out of her. She's been tense, more so than usual." Saya replied.

"That can't be good. Let's see if we can get the whole story."

Saya and I entered the conference room. This time I was not greeted by friendly smiles and pleasantries, but instead found only sorrow written on the faces of those gathered here. The room was not nearly as full as it had been before, and this time the meeting was comprised of Saya, the strange otherworld woman called Silver Maul, the Arbiter, Mashiro, Rukia, Renji, Midori, Notokishi, Verona, Siegfried, and me. Notokishi was practically shaking in her seat, and Verona was trying to calm her down. Rukia's eyes never met mine, she was probably still angry at me for informing her of Ichigo's demise.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"We informed them of the meeting, but they were not required to attend if they were not ready. Some of them are still upset over recent events." said Verona.

I thought of last night, and how I had heard Mikoto's cries echo down the halls of the palace. I thought I heard Rukia do the same, but it disappeared. She seemed to be better, seeing as how she was actually here.

"So what's going on?" I asked as I sat down.

"We have a serious problem." said Siegfried. "Nightmare is on his way here."

"Nightmare? Wasn't that the azure knight who destroyed-" I stopped myself when I realized Rukia was now staring directly at me.

"The very same." Siegfried continued. "It would seem he has left the Soul Society and is now approaching Windbloom."

"Do you think we stand a chance against him?" asked Saya.

"If he were the azure knight I knew, maybe. But from Notokishi has told me, our chances of defeating him have gone from small to minimal."

"How?"

Notokishi looked up at the rest of us, still in shock. "He's turned into a gigantic titan of fire and shadow. He is a walking sword wielding mountain of flesh and bone and flame! I don't understand…how could he have assimilated enough souls to become so powerful, and so huge? He would have had to consume an entire world of souls!"

"Rukia, you don't think…?" said Renji. A look of absolute horror was on both his and Rukia's faces.

"Kuchiki, do you know how this could have happened?" asked Siegfried.

Rukia was staring at the table. "The world I come from…the soul society…the entire world's occupants are souls. He devoured them…he ate the entire soul society…"

Rukia's expression began to shift from shock to hatred, and her hands balled into fists.

"How long?" she asked.

"What?" said the Arbiter.

Rukia looked up to meet his death glare. The Arbiter was taken aback at the rage that was now quite visible in her eyes.

"How long until that bastard gets here?" she asked.

"We aren't entirely sure. That's why we've gathered here." Mashiro said. "This is not the first time we have seen the azure knight, and I understand the threat he poses, especially if what my daughter says is true. Therefore, we feel it would be best to send a scouting party to assess the situation."

"And who would this party consist of?" asked Midori. Her tone was surprisingly serious for a change.

"The Arbiter and I have thought about this, and we believe it would be best if the otherworlders go. It is their home world, after all, and they are extremely resistant to damage of any kind."

"Then I shall go as well!" declared Rukia, who now stood.

"Rukia…" Renji said, surprised.

"We understand your feelings on this, Kuchiki, but right now we have no intention of engaging the azure knight in combat. We must determine the strength of our enemy before we make any reckless attempts to fight him."

"Your highness, if I may?" began Siegfried.

"Go ahead, Siegfried."

"Please excuse my rudeness, but I believe it would be pointless for you to try and convince Kuchiki to stay. There is something about vengeance that drives one forward, and will not allow any impediments."

Rukia stared in surprise at this, as did the rest of us. The only one who wasn't surprised was Silver Maul, who continued to remain silent.

"However," Siegfried continued. "in no way do I encourage her to face the azure knight. Reconnaissance only."

Mashiro smiled at this. "Actually, I was about to say the same thing. It would be reckless to attack him now, but I will not stop you from going on the scouting mission."

Rukia seemed to be relieved by this, and sat back down.

"Which brings us to the second point of our meeting…"

We all fixed our attention on Silver Maul, who had yet to speak a single word.

"Who exactly, are you?"

The pale woman stared calmly at us. She then stood so as to address everyone in the room.

"I am called Black Silver Maul." she said. "I wish to lend my skills to this alliance, in order to stop Fury."

"Fury?" said everyone but me.

"That's right, I almost forgot. White Steel Wrath said the name of his master was Fury." I said.

"So what you're saying, is that our enemy is someone called Fury?" asked Rukia.

"That is correct, Ms. Kuchiki." answered Silver Maul.

"How do you know this?" asked the Arbiter, suspicion evident in his tone.

"I have been tracking down White Steel Wrath since he returned to life. I overheard him say his master's name at the same time as Strength."

"Do you have some kind of vendetta with him as well?" I said.

Silver Maul shifted her gaze directly onto me. "More like tying up loose ends."

Other than her emotionless expression, the woman's appearance greatly resembled White Steel Wrath, especially in the color and shade of her eyes and hair.

"Is there anything else you wish to ask me?" Silver Maul continued.

"No, that is all." Mashiro said. He then turned to face the rest of the room. "The scouting party will leave in a few hours time, so be sure to inform Mato and Yomi. Dismissed."

Some time later, Saya, Silver Maul, Rukia, and I were waiting at the landing platform.

"What could be taking them so long?" Rukia said impatiently.

"Hmhm, I think I know." Saya laughed.

She gestured to Mato and Yomi, who were just now approaching the platform. The two friends were walking hand in hand, and even though they were in the bodies of their emotionless counterparts, they both had a deep shade of red on their faces.

"There you are! What took you so long?" Rukia asked.

"Uh, we were…um, busy…" Yomi stuttered shyly.

"Doing what?"

"Just some, y'know…stuff." Mato said nervously.

"Would it have anything to do with that smudge on your shoulder, Yomi?" Saya said playfully.

There was indeed a mark on the green-eyed girl's skin, and it looked slightly like a pair of lips. Yomi covered the spot as both she and Mato turned red as a beet. Realization dawned on Rukia, and she gave quite the shocked expression. I just smiled and rolled my eyes as we climbed aboard the Phantom. _Took you two long enough. _I thought.

"Strength?" Rukia said at one point during the flight.

"Yes?"

"I want to apologize for yesterday. I let my emotions get the better of me."

"It's alright. It's only natural for you to be angry with me."

"No, I shouldn't blame you for what happened. I'm sorry for hitting you."

I smiled softly. "Apology accepted."

I hadn't spoken to anyone about it, but I kept seeing the strange girl in my dreams that resembled both Rukia and Black Rock Shooter. Soon enough, we reached the rift that team 3 had used to get to the Otherworld. When we entered it, I couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia as we flew over the dark and barren landscape.

"This…is the Otherworld?" Rukia observed.

"Yep. Home sweet home." I said.

"It's so dark, and empty. It reminds me of Hueco Mundo, except without all the desert and hollows."

(**A/N:** For those who don't know Bleach, Hueco Mundo is the world where all the hollows/evil spirits come from.)

I saw a faint glow on the horizon, almost like an enormous fire. I was about to tell the pilot to investigate, when suddenly a huge ball of blue flame flew at us from somewhere far below. The blast scored a direct hit on the cockpit, and like that our pilot was dead. With our Phantom now spinning out of control, we jumped towards the ground below. I caught Rukia on my way down, and used my free hand to break our fall. The others landed around us just as the Phantom crashed into the ground and exploded in a burst of blue/purple plasma fire.

"What the hell hit us?" said Saya, sword already summoned.

"It looked like some kind of fire blast. More importantly, where are we?" I said.

We had landed in a rather…colorful part of the Otherworld, something that both surprised and worried me. All around us, there lay mountains of broken dolls and toys. The sky was a bright purple, and ornate pillars rose and twisted skyward. There was a house suspended by chains some distance above us. Somehow, I felt as though I should know where we were, but I couldn't quite figure it out.

"This place…I've seen it before." said Mato.

"As have I, but where?" said Saya.

"This is someone's inner world, I can feel it. But, what kind of person would have a world like this?" said Yomi.

"**Not what…" **said a distorted girl's voice. It sounded very familiar.

A pile of junk suddenly began to shake as eight jagged legs burst out of it and stuck into the ground. The featureless, disfigured, white head of a doll rose up from the front of the pile, while gigantic cog shaped wheels burst from the back. I heard the whir of spinning metal as a lone figure appeared atop the metal monster. It was a girl with long, wild blonde hair, golden eyes; wearing a knee-length dress and coat, claw like gloves, a thorn like black crown, and in place of feet she had a single golden wheel on the base of each leg.

"…**who."**

"Kagari?!" Mato, Yomi, Saya, and I exclaimed.

"You know that girl?" said Rukia, unsure whether to draw her sword or relax.

"That's Kagari! That's one of our friends we've been looking for!" I explained.

Silver Maul said nothing. She just stared at the blonde, holding her weapon ready.

"**So you do remember me. Kagari was beginning to think you had forgotten."** said Kagari.

"How could we forget? You're our friend! We've been worried about you since all of this started!" Mato said.

"**Really? It certainly didn't seem like it."**

"Are you alright, Kagari? You sound strange." said Yomi.

Kagari put up a smile and opened her arms wide. **"I'm fine now that you're here, Yomi. Why don't you come up here, and give me a hug for old times sake? You too, Mato. You are my friend, after all."**

Yomi and Mato took a step forward, but I put a hand in front of them. Something wasn't right. Kagari never offered Mato something like a hug, even if she had changed.

"Kagari, where's Yuu? And why are you in Chariot's body and not just your own?" I asked. "And furthermore…how come we were shot down, and yet you are perfectly safe?"

Kagari's smile vanished in an instant. Her arms dropped back to her sides and her brow creased in a frown.

"**What does it matter? I've finally found Kagari's friends again, so why can't we just be nice to each other?"**

"Answer the question, Kagari."

"**I don't know where Yuu is! We were together for a while, then she left me all alone! Just like the rest of you!"**

Kagari was showing her teeth now, and her hands were clenched tightly into fists.

"Kagari, calm down! We just want to know why you're acting so strangely." Yomi tried.

Kagari stared down at her wheel-feet. **"Kagari was alone for so long. So very alone…"** she stared back at Yomi with sorrow. **"I waited for you…I waited for Yomi to come save me…but you never came…"**

"Kagari…I-"

"**I love you. Kagari loves you, Yomi! Don't you understand that?"**

"I do, but-"

"**Then tell me, do you love Kagari?"**

Yomi paused at this. Nervously, she glanced at Mato. Mato had the same expression, but after a moment nodded. The two of them joined hands.

"No. I'm sorry Kagari. You are my best friend, but the one I love is Mato."

Kagari was trembling where she stood. Tears began to stream down her face as hate filled her eyes.

"**I knew it. She was right, Mato stole you from me."**

"Wait, who was right?" I asked.

"**Kagari's new friend, Fury."**

"What?!"

The ground around us began to shake.

"**Kagari wanted to do this the easy way…but that's not an option anymore. If you do not love me…"**

Everywhere, more mechanical monsters like the one Kagari was on, only smaller, burst out of the ground and surrounded us.

"**Then Kagari will make Yomi love me!"**

The metal spiders converged on us, most of them going for Mato and Yomi.

"**Bring them to me!" **

I leapt in between the spiders and their target, letting out the full might of my fists on the machines. The others proceeded to do the same, but it seemed that no matter how many of the creatures we destroyed, there were always three more behind them. Because most of us were otherworlders, we could keep fighting for a very long time, but I could tell Rukia was quickly getting tired out from the attacks. We would have to finish this soon. Since the spiders didn't seem to be working, Kagari summoned her sword and shield to her hands and leapt down at us. Saya charged at her, but Kagari just parried the strike and sent her flying with an upward kick, slicing Saya's stomach at the same time. Silver Maul tried coming from behind, when all of a sudden a column of blue fire erupted from behind Kagari, knocking her back.

"**Fury gave me power, so that Kagari would become strong enough to take Yomi back. Now, Kagari is stronger than all of you!"** Kagari declared.

"We'll see about that!" I yelled as I swung my fists at her. I didn't really want to hurt her, but I knew reasoning with her was useless now.

Kagari blocked the blow and staggered back. As I prepared to launch another attack, spikes suddenly protruded from her shield, and she charged at me. Instead of blocking, I leapt to the side and tried for a right hook at Kagari's stomach. She saw me out of the corner of her eye, and I was unable to stop the blast of fire that struck me square in the gut. I flew backward until I collided with one of the many pillars. I tried to get up, but felt immense pain where I had been hit by the fire. My hoodie was partially burnt away, revealing part of my right side. Surprisingly, the burn marks weren't healing. Kagari seemed to notice this.

"**That was hellfire that I hit you with. Any injury inflicted by hellfire will never recover, according to Fury."**

Just when I managed to recover enough strength to rise, a ring of blue hellfire appeared around me, too high to jump over. Rings also appeared around Saya and Silver Maul where they lay unconscious.

"**Now stay put, and Kagari will let you go when she's done."**

All I could do was watch as Kagari rolled over towards Rukia, block a swipe from the soul reaper's sword, slash her once, and roll onward as Rukia collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest. A ring of fire appeared around Rukia as Kagari came within five feet of Mato and Yomi. After blasting away another spider, Mato turned around to see Kagari swinging at her. Mato blocked the slash, then shoved Kagari back. Seizing the momentary loss of balance, Mato then shot Kagari's sword and shield out of her hands, disarming her. Now held at gunpoint, Kagari smiled at Mato.

"**Can you really pull the trigger?"**

Mato hesitated for a moment. It was all the time Kagari needed to punch the gun away, do a spinning kick, and knock Mato flat on her back. Kagari then brought a wheel down on Mato's stomach, nearly cutting her in half. She then shifted her leg so that the wheel floated an inch above Mato's throat, spinning violently.

"**Even if I can't kill you, Mato Kuroi, I can still make you suffer!" **she said, grinning wickedly as she began to slowly lower her leg.

_SCHINK!_

Kagari looked down. A curved blade stuck out of her chest, splattered with yellow/black blood. Turning her head around, she saw Yomi standing behind her, hands tightly gripping the scythe as she pulled it out of Kagari. Yomi stared in disbelief as Kagari turned all the way around and began to slowly roll towards her.

"**That hurt, Yomi."**

"You-you left me no choice! You were about to kill Mato so I-I-" Yomi stammered.

"**Tried to kill me? That's so mean of you, Yomi."**

"Why, why are you doing this?"

"**Why? Because I love you, Yomi. Now, come back to me." **Kagari reached out to her.

Yomi fell to her knees, dropping her scythe and burying her face in her hands. "Please Kagari, just stop this! Just let me go!"

Kagari stopped reaching forward. Yomi was crying.

"**Yomi?"**

"Stop it…let me go…just let me go…" she said between sobs.

Kagari stared down at the crying girl in regret. **"Yomi…don't cry…"**

She tried to reach out to Yomi again, but this time her hand was shoved away. "Leave me alone!"

Kagari gave a look of hurt at the rejection. She looked like she was also on the brink of tears. I saw Mato get up and walk over to her.

"Kagari, I-" Mato began as she put her hand on Kagari's shoulder.

Out of surprise, Kagari wheeled around, and covering her fists in blue hellfire, punched Mato. The blow was so powerful that it went all the way through Mato's chest and out the other side. Both Mato and Kagari's eyes went wide as they stared at what she had done. Mato let out a small groan before she fell back and collapsed to the ground.

"No! Mato!" I yelled.

"NO!" Yomi screamed. She knelt down next to Mato and cradled the sapphire-eyed girl in her arms. "Kagari, what have you done?!"

Kagari stared at Mato's body, then at her blood soaked hand. **"No…I-I didn't…I…didn't mean to…"**

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"**_screamed a voice in my head.

The sound was excruciating and deafening, and my ears were ringing from the pain. But there was something other than pain that bothered me about the sound. Despite its immense distortion, I thought I heard my own voice screaming. I looked around after my head hurt a little less. It looked like no one else had heard the scream besides Kagari who was now on her knees gripping the sides of her head. Blood was starting to come from her ears.

"**NO! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT! I DIDN'T TRY TO KILL HER! I JUST WANTED YOMI BACK!" **Kagari cried.

"_**YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH! I GAVE YOU MY POWER, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? KISS YOUR PRECIOUS YOMI GOODBYE, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!" **_the other voice roared.

Kagari screamed in pain as she suddenly burst into blue flames. Yomi sat nearby, holding Mato and watching Kagari burn. The fire rings disappeared around me and the others. Even though she was dying Kagari still had the strength to look up into Yomi's teary eyes.

"**Yomi…I**'m…sorry…I'm so sorry…I…couldn't…let go…forgive me…Yomi…"

And with one last gasp, Kagari Izuriha turned to ash, and left this plane behind.


	14. Chapter 13

**Please R&R. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Death of Rukia Kuchiki**

* * *

**The Otherworld, Kagari's Domain**

* * *

_**Rukia**_

* * *

We ran from Kagari's world as it began to blow apart around us. Yomi was crying her eyes out as she ran with Mato's still form in her arms. After jumping over fallen debris and past disintegrating floors, the six of us were back in the normal part of the Otherworld. We found what looked like a run down hotel scattered amongst the remains of a ruined city, and decided to take refuge there. We laid Mato down on a bed in one of the rooms on the third floor. I cast a small healing kido on the wound in chest, but it didn't have any effect.

"Dammit! Why isn't she regenerating? Isn't that a power you guys have?" I said.

"Normally yes, but it looks like that hellfire was just as effective as Kagari said. Nothing burned with hellfire will ever heal." said Strength.

"No…Mato…please, don't die! Don't leave me, Mato!" Yomi pleaded, kneeling down beside the wounded girl.

Mato stared blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, her eyes went wide and she began to shake violently on the bed. She opened her mouth in a silent scream, and her eyes began to change from sapphire blue to a bright purple.

"What the-what the hell's happening to her?" I demanded, struggling to restrain Mato.

"I was afraid this might happen. It looks like Black Rock Shooter is trying to take over her body!" Strength explained.

"What?!"

"Mato is dying, and as her other half Black Rock Shooter is trying to suppress Mato in order to protect her. But if Black Rock Shooter comes out, she'll kill all of us!"

"Why?"

"In her awakened form, Black has no sense of good or evil, she loses her sanity and attacks anything that moves. She has no concept of physical pain, and will continue to fight regardless of how hurt she may become, since she also gets much stronger."

"Like how strong, exactly?"

"Strong enough that were it not for Mato's interference, she would have killed both Ichigo and Saber by herself."

"Shit…"

Mato continued to thrash about, and now a bright purple flame was roaring out of her left eye.

"Please, stop this! Isn't there anything you can do to stop Black Rock Shooter and save Mato?" Yomi pleaded.

Strength went into deep thought for a moment. When she finished, she looked incredibly regretful.

"I have an idea, but it's very risky." she said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"If we were to send someone inside Mato, then maybe they could do something about Black. Insane Black Rock Shooter will immediately attack her fellow otherworlders without hesitation, but if she were to face someone else, someone not from our world…"

I knew where this was going. "You think I should go, right?"

"…Yes." As if she made a mistake, she then added "But if you don't want to, I can ask Silver Maul instead. Black hasn't fought her yet, so-"

"But isn't she an otherworlder?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then won't be she be attacked on sight?"

"Dammit Rukia, you'll be torn apart if you go! You're not like us, you'll die for sure!"

Mato let out a violent scream from below us.

"Mato!" Yomi cried. Tears were pouring out her eyes as she held onto the girl's hand.

The sight of the green-eyed girl in tears was more than I could bear. I had already seen more than enough close friends ripped apart from each other, myself included. This time, I will make sure they aren't forced to suffer as I did, not again. I put my hand on Yomi's shoulder and smiled for reassurance.

"Don't cry anymore, Yomi, Mato will be alright." I turned to Strength. "I'll do it. I'll go."

"Are you sure?" Strength asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

Strength nodded as well. "Saya, Silver Maul, please restrain Mato."

The others did as instructed. Strength then had me put my forehead against Mato's.

"Ready?" Strength asked.

"As I'll ever be."

Strength nodded and gave a weak smile. "Good luck, Rukia."

With that, I closed my eyes and I left the Otherworld behind.

* * *

**Inside Mato, Black Rock Shooter's Domain**

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I found myself falling from a great height to a dimly lit floor below. I was about to panic, but then I slowly began to float down as I drew near the ground. Landing softly, I took a look at my new surroundings. Everywhere I looked, there was an endless black void. The only color came from the black and white tiled floor.

"So this is Mato's inner world. It's dark and without any light, nothing like her." I observed.

I walked forward a few steps and saw a faint light. Curious, I approached it and came to halt when the source came into view. There, ensnared by chains that came from somewhere far above, was a young girl with dark hair and two short pigtails. Somehow, I knew that this was the real Mato. Through the chains that bound her, I could see a huge scar on her chest, similar to the one she had in reality. I tried to get closer, but then a short burst of gunfire stopped me in my tracks.

"**Who are you?"** said a woman's voice.

Out of the shadows, a woman slightly taller than me with an armored torso, claw-like gauntlets, jagged armored legs, short shorts, and holding a huge lance-like weapon similar to the cannon Mato used. The woman had black hair that extended in two long pigtails of different length. She had angry purple eyes, and purple flame burned furiously out of here left eye. I drew my sword.

"I am Rukia Kuchiki. Am I to assume you are Black Rock Shooter?" I asked.

"**I am. What is your business here, Rukia Kuchiki?"**

"I've come to stop you from taking over Mato, to save her."

"**I ****am ****saving Mato. She is no longer strong enough to use my body, so I will replace it with my awakened form. Then no one will be able to harm Mato."**

"But if you awaken, you'll kill everyone Mato holds dear. Do you really want to do that?"

"**If Mato is in pain, then I will only become stronger."**

"Then it seems there is no reasoning with you." I held my sword upside down. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."

My zanpakutou dawned its shikai form, and I readied myself for combat. BRS stared at me through emotionless eyes.

"**You plan to fight me? Very well. But I should warn you…"** BRS took a stance with her lance. **"…the only person to ever defeat me, is Mato."**

"I'll just have to fix that then!" I yelled as I charged.

I went for her head, but BRS blocked the strike and countered with a punch aimed at my gut. I flash-stepped away in time, then thrust forward. BRS narrowly dodged the attack, and then delivered a lightning fast slash with her lance at my side. The blow caught me off guard and I was tossed back a good 20 feet. I managed to regain my footing before slamming completely into the ground. Ignoring the pain in my stomach, I extended a hand towards BRS.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!" (red flame cannon) I yelled.

A red ball of energy flew from my hand at my target. BRS made no attempt to dodge, and I used the cover of the smoke that rose after the ball exploded to get behind her. I swung into the mist, and was rewarded with the sound of steel cutting into flesh. The smoke cleared, and I saw the end of my sword embedded in BRS's side. My opponent was unfazed by this, and immediately spun around in an attempt to decapitate me. I ducked under the massive weapon and leapt back.

"Some no Mai, Tsuki Shiro!" I yelled with a swish of my sword.

BRS looked down at the image of a moon that I had made around her just before a giant pillar of light rose up and engulfed her. With another swish of my sword, the pillar froze. However, I was hesitant to sheathe my sword just yet. I found I had made the right decision when the pillar shattered and bullets began to fly at me from BRS's lance. I grunted as a few of the projectiles tore into me before flash-stepping away. BRS ceased firing and began to slowly walk toward me. Though she was injured in several locations from my attack, she didn't seem to notice any of it. I quickly stabbed four points on the ground in front of me and held my sword in a thrust position.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" (second dance, white ripple)

A torrent of ice and snow burst from my zanpakutou towards my opponent. Again, BRS made no effort to dodge and took the full force of the blast. She was completely covered in cuts and bruises now, and was encased completely in ice. However, her cold prison began to shake and crumble. Before she completely broke free, I took her lance-gun and tossed it as hard as I could. It disappeared to somewhere in the darkness as BRS completely broke free of the ice. Noticing the loss of her weapon, a wickedly jagged then appeared in her left hand. The size of her new blade was around the same as mine, so it couldn't have been nearly as strong. I was proven wrong about this when she dashed toward me and nearly broke my sword in half when I blocked a strike at my head. I shoved her blade back, and we proceeded to exchange blows. Again and again our swords clashed, and neither of us could injure the other, nor gain any ground. Parrying a swipe at my side, I leapt back and held out my hand again.

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" (six light rod prison) I yelled.

Six large rods of yellow light flew from out of nowhere and into BRS, holding her perfectly in place. I knew the spell was strong, but considering the results of my shikai attacks, she would most likely break free shortly. I quickly rushed towards her, sword first. Purple/black blood burst from BRS's chest as my blade was driven through her. Surprise became evident in BRS's eyes, and she went still. When she remained motionless for a few minutes, I let out a sigh of relief. But as I tried to remove my sword from her body, it refused to budge. I then realized the reason why. BRS was holding my sword in place with her hand. Her face had contorted into a crazed and insane smile, and the flame in her left eye burned brighter than ever.

"Im-impossible! You're not supposed to be able to move when the rods are in you!" I said in horror.

The rods restraining BRS then broke into pieces, and with one swift motion, she brought her sword down on my own. I could practically hear my zanpakutou scream in pain as its blade split in half. I stumbled back in fear and surprise, and was unable to avoid the powerful punch that struck me square in the chest. I heard my ribs crack and break as I coughed up a fair amount of blood. I landed on my hands and knees. BRS then pulled the other half of my sword out of her chest and cruelly tossed it aside into the darkness. She then reached down and grabbed me by the collar of my armor. Before I could try to react, she thrust her scimitar inside my already wounded chest. The pain I felt now was excruciating. Blood began to quickly flee my body, and my vision began to blur.

**"**I** told you before, you are no match for me. There is no way someone as weak as you could ever hope to defeat me." **BRS taunted.

Mustering what strength I had left, I raised my arm, which still held my broken zanpakutou.

"San…no Mai…Shirafune…" (third dance, white blade) I wheezed.

_SCHINK!_

BRS stared in shock at what had just happened. After uttering the command phrase, my sword had repaired its blade, and was now sticking into BRS's left eye.

"**No way…" **she whispered.

The flame in her eye slowly went out, and then disappeared altogether as BRS collapsed to the floor, her scimitar leaving my body in the process. I held onto my sword as I did the same. Clutching my rapidly bleeding chest, I glanced over at Mato. The young girl was now free of the chains that bound her, and I noticed for the first time that she was completely naked. Mato collapsed to the ground, unconscious. I tried to crawl towards her, but my body refused to listen to me. I lay there in the darkness, surrounded by a steadily growing pool of blood._ So this is it, huh? This is where I die?_ It became nearly impossible to see now. My eyelids felt heavy, and they closed against my will. _Damn it all...__  
_

"Ichigo...brother...everyone...I'm sorry. I guess I won't be able to avenge you after all..." I whispered. "I hope you live, Mato. You are still young, and you deserve to be with the ones you love." I violently coughed up some blood. I was nearly gone now. "Don't let...(cough) my actions...go...(cough) to...waste..."

After one last long breath, the strength left my body, and allowed myself to pass. A few moments went by, and then I felt a pair of strong arms slide under my legs and back to lift me up and carry me, bridal style. _Heh, an angel must be carrying me to heaven. _I thought jokingly. I slowly opened my eyes to find I couldn't be more wrong. It was not an angel who was carrying me, it was Black Rock Shooter. All of my relief turned to horror as she gazed down at me with bright purple eyes.

**"You're still alive. Good, I was beginning to worry."** she said.

"I'm alive? But how? And what about you? I thought I killed you!" I said. None of this made any sense.

**"You did kill me, but as long as Mato is in pain I will resurrect without fail. You are fatally injured, but I am using some of my power to keep you alive."**

"Are you going to finish me off, then?"

**"No. You have proven yourself to be stronger than me, and for that you have earned my respect."**

"What about Mato? Did I save her?"

**"No, you did not."**

Defeat washed over me. "So I failed...and lost my life in the process...by the way, where are you taking me?"

**"To Mato. There is a chance to save both your lives, but I must hurry. Otherwise, you will lose the only chance you'll get to go back."**

We drew close to Mato, and for some reason our clothing began to dissolve off of us. Black Rock Shooter's eyes turned to a familiar bright sapphire as we drew to a halt in front of her counterpart.

"So what is this chance you mentioned?" I asked.

**"Before you arrived, I was going to join my awakened form with Mato. By doing this, she would be able to recover inside of me while I protected her. But..."**

I had a feeling I knew where she was going with this. "But?"

**"You defeated me. No one besides Mato has ever done that. Therefore, you are more suited to be her protector."**

"You don't mean..."

BRS nodded. **"I want you to merge with Mato, to become a part of us. If you do that, Mato will be saved, and you will heal and become far stronger than you are now. Because you would also be merging with me, my power would be yours to command. However, you will no longer be Rukia Kuchiki. So then, will you accept my offer?"**

It was certainly tempting. If I took the offer, then not only would I save Mato, but I would stop BRS from killing the others as well. Still, there were a few things that were bothering me, especially the part about not being Rukia anymore...

**"I have already spoken with Sode no Shirayuki. Your zanpakutou encourages you to take this chance. Choose quickly, for I can no longer protect you."**

The pain of my injuries returned. _Sode no __Shirayuki, is this true? Do you think I should do this?_ I mentally asked my sword. This concerned her too, since she would die along with me.

_"Yes, Rukia. I do not wish for us to die yet. We have unfinished business with the azure knight." _Shirayuki responded.

_Very well then. _"Black Rock Shooter."

**"Have you decided?"**

"I have. I'll do it."

**"Very well. Let us begin."**

BRS laid me down next to Mato. The young girl wearily opened her eyes and looked at me.

"...Rukia...is that you?" she said softly.

"Yes, Mato. I came to save you. Just rest for a little longer, we'll be home soon."

Mato nodded sleepily and closed her eyes. I felt something soft suddenly press against my back, followed by a pair of skinny pale arms reaching from behind me to pull Mato against my chest. Ignoring the embarrassment of having another girl pressed against my body (and naked, at that!), I glanced behind me to see that it was Black Rock Shooter holding us together.

"What the hell are you doing?! Oh god...don't tell me by 'merge' you meant-" I said, panicking.

**"Do not be alarmed, I do not intend for us to mate."** BRS responded casually.

(**A/N: **Sorry kids, no yuri-threesome)

I was not convinced, as a strange warm sensation sprung up everywhere inside me, and it seemed magnified by the contact with Mato and BRS. The world around us began to shatter, and soon were floating in an infinite white void.

**"It is nearly finished. Now the only thing left is for you to give our new body a new name."**

A single word pervaded my mind, a word that would fit all three of us. Sensing my decision, BRS closed her eyes, and a bright light surrounded us. When it faded, I was alone. I floated through the void, and then my new form began to take shape. My skin turned a milky pale white, my hair grew long enough that it barely passed my waist, my eyes became a brilliant sapphire blue, and my height and chest remained the same (much to my displeasure). Black fingerless gloves appeared on my hands, knee-high combat boots on my feet, panties and short shorts over my waist/abdomen, black bandages wrapped around my chest in place of a bra or shirt, and long black jacket with torn off sleeves settled over my back and shoulders. With my new form completed, I closed my eyes and pictured the Otherworld.

* * *

Soon enough, I felt the softness of a mattress under me and I opened my eyes. I was laying in the bed that Mato had been on, back in the hotel room. The others were there, staring at me in wonder and confusion.

"Who...who are you?" asked Strength.

I looked at her, then at the others. I stood up and looked so that I could see everyone.

With a smile, I spoke. "My name... is Ebony."

And with that, my life as Rukia Kuchiki came to an end.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Eyes of Amber**

* * *

**Windbloom, Fuuka Palace**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

Nearly a month has gone by since…the incident. At first, I was surprised beyond words when Ebony came into being. The girl I had been seeing in my dreams had suddenly become real, after all. None of us were sure what to make of her when she said that she was both Rukia Kuchiki and Mato Kuroi at the same time. As illogical as it sounded, there was no way I could deny the explanation she gave as to how she was created. Rukia had defeated Black Rock Shooter, and fused with Mato in order to protect her soul and save her life. Personally, I was overjoyed to know that both my friends were alive and well, and Saya and Silver Maul seemed to share my feelings. But Yomi…oh god, Yomi…she hasn't come out of her room since we were found and rescued. _Poor Yomi…these last few days have been hell for her._ It hadn't taken long for us to get back, because the rift connecting the Otherworld and Earl had collapsed, putting the Otherworld on the outskirts of the desert that spanned most of the planet. It wasn't easy explaining Ebony to the others, but they seemed to understand. However, I couldn't help but notice that the man called Renji was now spending less and less time around me and the other otherworlders, particularly Ebony. Since I was the oldest and most experienced among us (despite my appearance, I'm actually almost 30. One of the perks of being an otherworlder.), I had taken it upon myself to teach Ebony how to use her newfound powers. And that is what we are doing right now, in a large courtyard where we could practice without worry. A pile of rubble sat a few feet away.

"Are you ready, Ebony?" I asked.

The pale girl nodded. "Yes, I am." since half of her was Rukia, Ebony spoke with her voice and always had her zanpakutou at her side.

"Good. Let's begin with hand to hand combat. Summon your sword."

"Okay."

Ebony held out her left hand, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Within moments, the black and white katana that was once Black Rock Shooter's appeared in her hand. I smiled in approval at this as she drew Rukia's sword with her right hand.

"Well done. Now…" I sprang toward her, fists raised. "show me what you can do!"

I swung my fists at Ebony relentlessly, never once giving her time to counter-attack. I may be a nice person most of the time, but all that changes when I fight. No mercy, kill or be killed. Those were the rules I had lived by since the day I was born. Ebony expected no less from me. She did have BRS in her, after all. Still, I would be lying if said I wasn't slightly holding back. Ebony dodged, blocked, or parried my attacks. However, I soon saw an opening and swung with all my might at her side. My giant fist slammed into her, but she didn't budge. She was still hurt though, as she cringed at the impact of the blow. Back when we first started out, she would fly all the way to the other end of the courtyard. The rate at which she was developing her tolerance for physical pain was astonishing, and she hardly seemed to feel anything these days. Her pain went away within seconds, and before I knew it she was swinging her blades at me in a wild flurry. It was hard to keep up with her speed, and it didn't help that her powers as a soul reaper made her even faster. Despite her small frame, she was just as strong as BRS, maybe even stronger. Soon enough, she knocked both of my arms aside and delivered a powerful downward slash with both of her blades. I fell flat on my back against the concrete, white/black blood gushing from two cuts on my chest. Sitting up, I found Ebony pointing one of her swords at my throat. Pleased at the progress of my student, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Hehehe, nicely done, Ebony. You win again." I said.

My student smiled before sheathing her swords and helping me up. "Thank you, sensei."

"It's alright to just call me Strength, you know." _Although I do kind of like the idea of being called 'sensei'…_ "Alright, let's move on. Time for manipulation and ranged combat."

Ebony nodded and focused again. Not even 10 seconds passed before her katana was replaced with a large cannon. For some reason, the gun was easier for her to summon than the sword. _It won't be long now, though, before she'll be able to summon either weapon in an instant._

"Good. Now, think fast!" I said before grabbing a large chunk of rubble and lobbing it at her.

I smiled when the rubble was blown to bits by a well-timed shot from Ebony's cannon. _Her reflexes are still as sharp as ever._ I threw a few more chunks at her in quick succession, and each chunk was swiftly blasted to pieces.

"Alright, you're doing great! Now, try and change your weapon to stop this!"

I grabbed the entire pile of rubble and threw it at her. Blue flame began to burn from her left eye as Ebony quickly changed her cannon into a mounted tri-barreled machine gun with a magazine the size of a small car. With a roar, hundreds of bullets burst from her weapon, and within moments all the rubble had turned into a cloud of dust and pebbles. Ebony stood with empty bullet shells scattered all around her, not a scratch on her body. I clapped my hands in congratulations. She smiled and bowed in respect.

"I think that's enough for today. You've done well, Ebony." I said.

"Wait, that's it? I'm done?" she replied.

"Yes. I'm afraid there is very little left for me to teach you. You learn so fast…" I pretended to wipe away a tear from my face. "that it brings a tear to my eye."

Ebony just smiled and rolled her eyes at me. "Okay, Strength. Let's head back now."

On our way back to the guest rooms of the palace, I glanced at my student out of the corner of my eye. She had taken to tying up her long hair in a ponytail at the base of her head, somewhat similar to BRS. _She's getting stronger, I can feel it. There's no doubt about it-if anyone can defeat Fury, it would be her._ Thinking about our enemy brought me to another thought: Yuu. I hung my head slightly as I recalled my failure to locate her after nearly half a year. I had hoped to find my counterpart along with Kagari, but that was no longer a possibility. _**"She left me! Yuu left me all alone…"**_ The golden-eyed girl's words still rang in my head. I still had no clue as to her whereabouts, and I still couldn't get past that interference every time I tried to contact her.

"Renji?" Ebony said suddenly. Interrupting my train of thought.

The red haired man was standing in front of us in the hallway, staring nervously at Ebony.

"H…hey…" he said, meekly. He then turned to leave.

Ebony grabbed his arm before he could. "Renji, what's wrong? Why do you keep avoiding me? Why haven't you talked to me since I came back?"

"Well…because…you see…you…"

"Does it have something to do with my sudden change of appearance?"

Renji paused for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "Yeah, something like that."

Ebony looked slightly hurt at this. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's because you're not…not…"

"Not what? Why won't you talk to-"

"Because you're not Rukia anymore!"

Both Ebony and I were at a loss for words at this. As far as I could tell, Renji was a close friend of Rukia, so why would he say something like that?

"What are you talking about? I'm still Rukia! Even if I have a different name and body, it's still me." Ebony tried.

Renji shook his head. "It's not the same. Just because you talk like Rukia and act like Rukia, doesn't mean you are Rukia. I can't even sense your reiatsu (spirit energy) anymore. It's like you're dead."

I saw tears start to form in Ebony's eyes. "Renji…please…don't say that…"

"And want to know something else? That girl you're fused to right now, Black Rock Shooter, did you know that she nearly killed Ichigo? I know you still care about him, I'm not stupid! And not only that, but she murdered her best friend as well?" he turned his attention to me. "Isn't that right?"

"Well yes but that's-" I started.

"See? That's what you've become!"

Tears were now streaming down Ebony's face as she stared at Renji in shock. "So that's it huh… everything you said about loving me no matter what… about what we did… none of that matters, just because I changed so I could save that poor girl's life?"

Ebony's hair and clothing was starting to turn white, and her eyes began to radiate a deep crimson instead of sapphire. I knew what was happening, and I had to put a stop to it before we were slaughtered.

"Renji, that's enough! You don't know what you're doing!" I yelled, putting myself between him and Ebony.

"Shut up, you! I should give you a piece of my mind as well, seeing as how all of this shit is your fault!"

_SMACK!_

Renji stared in shock as a red hand print began to form on his face. Yomi, who had been in her room nearby, had suddenly come out and slapped Renji. The green-eyed girl was now glaring furiously at Renji through her glasses, fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Get lost." Yomi growled.

Renji's gaze dropped to the floor before he turned and walked away. Yomi then turned around and looked back at us. By this time Ebony had calmed down, and her appearance returned to normal.

"What...what was that?" she asked tearfully.

"It seems Black Rock Shooter hasn't told you about all the affects of your fusion. If you become too hurt by negative emotions, such as despair or anger, your other self will awaken and take possession of your body." I explained.

"That change just now, that was-"

"Your other self trying to take over. You need to be careful, negative emotions will be your undoing." I softened up then. "That doesn't mean you're not allowed to feel anything. You just have to be careful about how upset you get over things. I'm going to have to have a little chat with Renji later."

Ebony was staring at the floor, tears still running down her cheeks. Yomi knelt down and hugged her tightly, much to our surprise.

"Y-Yomi?" Ebony asked.

"Are you alright?" said Yomi.

"Y-yeah. Thank you. Are you feeling better now?"

"A little, thanks for asking. I heard Renji yelling at you and I just...it wasn't fair, those things he said."

Ebony shook her head. "No, it wasn't. I can't believe he said what he did...I trusted him..." she wrapped her arms around Yomi.

Yomi pulled back a bit and wiped the tears from Ebony's eyes. "Hey, no more crying. I've done more than enough of that for everyone."

Ebony stared into Yomi's eyes, unsure of how to respond.

"It doesn't matter to me what your name is or what you look like." Yomi started. "Even if you're not just Mato anymore, I won't mind. You can trust me, Ebony."

Ebony was still for a moment, then she smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Yomi smiled and helped her to stand. She then turned to me. "It's getting late. I'll take care of Ebony, you go ahead and get some sleep, Strength."

I smiled. "Okay. Goodnight, you two."

Later on, while I lay on my bed in the room I shared with Saya, my thoughts returned to my counterpart. _Yuu...where are you? Please, at least let me know that you're safe._ I decided to give it more thought tomorrow, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Suddenly, I felt cold all over my body. Blinking my eyes open, I found myself staring up at a dark and slanted ceiling. The roof seemed far too high for it to be my room at the palace. _Ah, so I'm dreaming again._ I thought. Sitting up, I saw that I was in an enormous white church. The building was falling apart in places, and piles of rubble were everywhere. With a start, I realized exactly where I was. This was the church in the Otherworld in which I had so often sought refuge in the past. But...why was I dreaming of this place? Walking around, I could hear the light thud of my shoes against the concrete floor. I could feel the ground beneath my feet, something I found to be a little too realistic for a dream.

**"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"** a distorted voice that was partially my own said. It was the same voice that I had heard when Kagari almost killed Mato.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" I demanded, summoning my fists.

The voice laughed. **"Look behind you, dumbass."**

I turned around. Leaning against one of the pillars supporting the roof of the church was the silhouette of a girl around the same size as me. Her arms were crossed, and her fanged teeth shone brightly in a wicked smile. The girl turned toward me, observing with a narrowed blue eye.

"Who are you?" I asked again.

The girl stepped halfway out of the shadows. She wore the uniform of a student at Mato and Yomi's school, had pointed ears, a fur tipped tail, light brown hair, and a skull like mask over the visible half of her face.

"Wait a minute...I've seen you before! You were at the school when those things were attacking!" I realized.

**"Hm, your memory is as great as ever, Strength."** said the girl.

"I've also heard your voice before, when one of my friends was dying, but it looked like no one else heard it."

**"(sigh) I guess the big guy forgot to isolate communication that time. I had high hopes for Kagari, but it seems that she was just as useless as most of my servants. Stupid bitch."**

_High hopes for Kagari? Servants? Then that means..._ "You...you're Fury, aren't you?"

The shadowed portion of her mouth not covered by the mask crept into a sinister grin.

**"Took you long enough."**

Overwhelmed by a sudden immense anger, I lashed out at the girl. To my surprise, she stopped my punch dead in its tracks with her bare hand.

"You bastard! You're behind all of this!"

**"My, looks like you've acquired quite the short temper. But then again..."**

Fury then shoved my arm aside, and suddenly her upper arms became as big as mine, and were encased in an almost exoskeletal white armor, and her fingers became a set of wickedly sharp claws.

**"...so have I!"**

(**A/N**: I recommend listening to "Kuusou Mesorogiwi" by Yousei Teikoku for this fight)

Fury lunged at me with her claws, barely giving me time to dodge. The impact of her strike made a crater in the ground behind me. While she was pulling her arms up, I swung my fists in a spiral motion. Fury blocked one fist and caught the other. Smiling, she spun around and threw me into a nearby pile of rubble. I shook off the pain and immediately rose to counter-attack. Fury was leaping toward me. I crouched down and waited for her to be just above me before delivering an uppercut and knocking her away. She caught herself just before she hit the ground, landing perfectly on her feet. Fury took a stance before charging at me with inhuman speed. I did the same and readied my fists to meet hers. We swung at the same time, and a shockwave was sent when our fists collided. Despite the size of our weapons, we then proceeded to throw punches at each other at lightning speed, always meeting each others blows and never once hitting each other. Fury grinned right as she saw an opening in my attacks and struck me square in the face, sending me skidding back a few feet.

**"Come on, is that all you've got?"** she taunted.

I grit my teeth as more anger built up inside me. "Shut up..." I said.

**"What?"**

"I said, shut up!"**  
**

I charged at her again, this time not giving any thought to strategy. Fury caught my fists just before they hit her. Now that we were in the light, I could see that her mask covered three quarters of her face, leaving only the left side of her mouth exposed. Fury shoved my arms aside and struck me with both of hers. I arched back from the force of the blow, but managed to prevent myself from being thrown off the ground. Arching back forward, I blocked a punch at my head and countered with a right hook to the side. Fury's grin turned into a scowl before she grabbed my arms and stuck them in the ground. While I struggled to free myself, she clasped her hands together, rose them, then brought them down on my head, knocking me flat on my back. With my hands still stuck, Fury then began to punch me relentlessly, laughing maniacally as she did so.

**"You know, you've been a real pain in my ass, Strength! I was hoping my servants would take care of you, but that was a mistake. So, I brought you here to deal with you myself!"** she said between blows.

My pain tolerance was running out. Her blows hit harder with each strike, spraying my white/black blood all over the ground. As she continued to pound me, I struggled to free my arms from the ground.

**"I think after I'm done with you, I'll go pay a visit to your friends back in Windbloom!"**

"How-" I tried, but was instantly silenced by a punch.

**"I've been watching their movements through your eyes this entire time. All of my plans, all of those attacks, they were all thanks to you!"**

She buried my head in the ground with a powerful blow.

**"I know all about Ebony, too. It doesn't matter if she's only half Mato now, I will not stop until she is at my side!"**

Fury stopped punching to wait for my response. I was too badly injured to speak.

**"Fuck. Whatever, I'm probably wasting my time trying to talk to you. I'll just kill your ass and be on my way."** she raised her fists for a final blow. **"Goodbye, Strength!" **she swung.

* * *

I wasn't entirely sure how it ended up like this. I remember Fury swinging down at me, then all of a sudden my hands were free and clutching her wrists. All I could think about was how angry I was at her. I felt my back tear open as a pair of mechanical fists burst out of me. Without really thinking, I squeezed her wrists until I heard bones snap, and then I used my extra arms to break her arms completely. I heard her cry out in pain as she staggered back. Now free of her weight, I stood up. I could hear my teeth grinding as I growled at her like some kind of wild beast. Fury stared at me with shock and hatred. Looking around, I realized that my entire body was engulfed in a bright orange flame.

**"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"** came a monstrous roar from somewhere within me.

I charged toward Fury, grabbed her, and pinned her against a pillar.

**"So Wrath was right...it is affecting you too..." **she mumbled.

Who was hiding under that mask, and why did they know so much about me? In my rage, I decided the best way to find out was by pummeling her face until her mask broke off.

**"Kill...kill you...I'll kill you!"** I found myself saying.

I had lost all control of my body. The voice that came out was my own, but I hadn't made any attempt to talk. My punches and my words were all happening on their own. After I don't know how many punches, the left side of Fury's mask shattered. The sight of what lay beneath shocked me enough to stop my onslaught of punches. Fury's left eye glared at me. It was amber orange, just like mine. A small, unforgettable orange barrette sat amidst her hair. My rage instantly vanished, and was replaced by absolute shock.

**"No...**it can't be..." I said.

The girl in my arms scowled at me with pure hate. Somehow, her broken arms healed, and six more sprouted from her back. She used my surprise to shove my arms off of her and knock to the floor with a powerful blow. While I was dazed, she picked me up with her extra arms, restraining all four of mine. Her two regular arms returned to normal, and she walked towards me.

**"I really wish you hadn't seen that, b**ut I suppose there's no hiding it now." she said. She reached up and tore the rest of her mask off. Just like her left, her other eye was amber orange as well.

Like her eyes, her voice and her face were exactly like mine, aside from skin tone. I knew who was standing before me now, and I cursed myself for not seeing it before.

"...Yuu..." I muttered.

My counterpart smiled fiendishly at me. "It's been awhile, Strength."

I was speechless. Here was my other half, who I had been searching for since this madness began, who I was sworn to protect, and now she turns out to be my worst enemy.

"I don't understand...you were finally happy in reality..."

Yuu frowned at me. "Happy? No, not in the slightest. But of course you wouldn't know that. You stopped caring about me a long time ago."

"Why...why do this? What happened to you?"

"I made a deal, one that would ensure that I would become happy."

"A deal...with Satan?"

"Yes. These ears and the tail are side effects of him using my body as a host, as is the power that comes from my rage. Power which you also seem to posses because of that."

"Why would you make a deal with the devil? Are you insane?!"

Yuu grinned slightly at this. "Maybe I am. I hope you realize now that you can't kill me, not without destroying yourself."

"Yuu...how could you do this? How could you hurt all those people?" I demanded.

"It's none of your concern, it hasn't been for a long time."

There was one other thing I wanted to know. "What do you want with Mato?"

Yuu gave me an innocent smile. "Why, I want to make her mine, of course. I need her to complete my happiness. After all, who could bring more joy to someone than Mato?"

Yuu grabbed hold of my throat before I could say another word. "Tell you what, since we're such close friends, I'll tell you a little secret before I send you on your way." She leaned to speak into my ear. "Nightmare will arrive in Windbloom in three weeks time. When he does, he'll destroy you and the others and bring Mato to me."

Yuu let go of me and the world began to dissolve around us. My eyelids began to feel heavy, sleep was overtaking me.

"Oh, and one more thing, you can't tell anyone who I am. Not yet. If you do, I'll go there and kill them myself. Bye...Strength..."

My eyes closed, and the dream world disappeared.

* * *

When I woke up, Saya was sitting next to me, shaking me. She looked worried and tried to say something, but I couldn't hear her.

"Saya..." I whispered.

"Strength! Oh thank god, I was getting worried. You were screaming in your sleep, and started bleeding like crazy!" Saya said after my hearing returned. She was about to say something else, but then she leaned close to me, looking even more worried. "Strength...you're crying..."

A single tear that ran down my cheek confirmed her words.

"What is it Strength, why are you crying?"

I stared into her eyes as the tears started to flood out of mine. "Yuu..."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Hellfire**

* * *

**The Otherworld, Fury's Fortress, 19 days later…**

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

I made my way down the halls with haste. I had been informed by Nagi that the results of Rider's 'assignment' were about to come to light. On my way, I caught sight of Ulqiourra leaning against the door to his room. Normally, I would have just walked past him, but I slowed down when I noticed he had a bit of red in cheeks along with a…smile?

"Oi, emo-boy." I began. "Are you…smiling?"

The Espada opened his closed eyes, his redness deepening and the smirk disappearing. "No." he answered simply.

"Uh huh, sure. So, whatever did you do with that busty babe you brought here awhile back?"

Now Ulqiourra looked nervous. "Uh, t-that is…"

I laughed before he embarrassed himself. "Relax, I won't say a word. Frankly, I think you needed some company. Your emo-face really lowers the mood."

I continued on my way to the infirmary, growing increasingly excited as I drew near. If the 'assignment' was a success, then I would be able to achieve my happiness all the faster.

"_Hey, it is gonna work, right?" _I asked mentally.

"_**If you both did it right-hehe, did it-then it should be a success. Although I'm not entirely certain, I've never tried that method before."**_ Satan replied.

I now stood before the door to the infirmary.

"_Looks like we're about to find out."_

I opened the door and headed inside. I immediately looked around the room for Rider. My attention came to rest on a pair of women, one with pale skin and white hair that hung in pigtails who held an enormous ring blade around her, the other with pink hair wearing a blue school uniform and a teal cellphone in her hand. I knew since resurrecting them that they were both clearly of their rockers, just in slightly different ways. Between them I could make out a pair of blackened long, slender legs hanging over the end of a hospital bed. I approached.

"Tira, Gasai." I addressed them.

The white haired girl took notice of me.

"Ooooh, look who's here! We were waiting for you, mistress." she said.

"Oh, Fury! Come quick, you need to see this!" said the pinkette, just now looking at me.

I drew near them and was met with a shocking sight. A horribly burnt corpse that had once been Rider lay before me. Anger and worry built up in me as I turned to face the two behind me.

"What the fuck happened?" I demanded. "And where is the-"

"Don't worry, we took care of it before this happened. Inoue is in the nursery with it right now. As for her…" Tira said.

"Well?"

"It seems that whatever process you used to do this killed her. She carried out her mission, but it seems her body wasn't strong enough to handle the accelerated growth and the power it possessed, so she combusted."

"I see…a shame, Rider was a reliable servant. Now, what of the prize? Is it…normal?"

Tira smiled mischievously and gestured toward the nursery. I went over and into the room without a second thought. I found Inoue sitting in a chair next to a crib, staring with motherly eyes at its contents. It struck me as odd how easily she had betrayed her allies to join my side, but I suppose I have Ulqiourra to thank for that, her healing powers were very useful. Inoue saw me come close and smiled.

"Oh good, you're here. We've been expecting you." she said, motioning to the crib.

"Which is it?" I asked.

"A girl."

Taking off my mask, I rested a hand on the edge of the crib and looked into it. In it, an infant with lavender hair and somewhat tan skin lay sleeping soundly, wrapped in pure white cloth. The child stirred for a moment before sleepily opening its eyes. They were amber, just like mine. I smiled down at the child.

"She's beautiful…" I whispered. "But is she…normal?"

"I looked her over, she's human. Although, there is a strong chance that she has Satan's power lying dormant within her." Inoue responded. "Other than that, she appears to be fairly normal."

I could hardly hold back my excitement at this new development. Scooping up the infant in my arms, I walked over to a nearby balcony.

"You have no idea how happy you've made me, little one." I said softly to the child. "Because of you, there is now hope for a future in which I may become happy. Only one test remains. And if she passes, no, when she passes, she will be mine."

* * *

**Fuuka Palace, Windbloom, the next day…**

* * *

_**Ebony**_

* * *

I let out a deep yawn and stretched my arms as I woke up from a restful night of sleep. The sound of soft breathing reminded me that I was not the only one sleeping in this bed. Yomi lay beside me, one arm on her chest and one arm draped across me. I sighed as I carefully removed the gentle girl's hand and lay it beside her. Recently, I found myself spending more and more time with Yomi, to the point where we now shared a room. Since there was only one bed, I had been forced to deal with rumors about the two of us being intimate at night, which we weren't. Although, more than once I woke up to find Yomi with her arms wrapped tightly around me. It could be because half of me is Mato, her friend and lover (yeah, I knew) that she's been so kind to me, but she only calls me Ebony. I'm sure she has feelings for me, and to be honest, I'm starting to think I feel the same way.

"Yomi, its morning, time to wake up." I said.

A yawn and a roll to the side was her response. Sighing, I stood up and poked her a few times.

"Nnn…five more minutes, Mato…" Yomi muttered.

Since that didn't work, I decided to be a little mischievous and started tickling her. Pretty soon Yomi was wide-awake and laughing. Satisfied, I ceased tickling and gave her a chance to breathe.

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up!" Yomi half giggled.

After getting dressed, the two of us went about our daily routine. I trained with Strength for a little bit, she did the same, we chatted with Okumura and his friends (despite being the son of Satan, he was a pretty cool guy), then I trained with Siegfried, and now we were sitting down having lunch with Notokishi and Verona.

"So, how have you two been?" asked Verona.

"Pretty good. Both my teachers say that they're running out of things to teach me, and that I'm getting a lot stronger." I said.

"How about you, Yomi?"

"I'm doing well. It's nice having Ebony around as a roommate, so I'm not lonely anymore."

"That reminds me," began Notokishi. "you two have been living together for awhile now, right?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

Notokishi took a long sip of soda before continuing. "So, have you 'done it' yet?"

I had made the mistake of trying to eat when she asked, so I was quite frustrated when I spit out a rather tasty chunk of my sandwich in surprise.

"WHAT?!" Yomi and I said at once.

"Just asking." Notokishi replied casually.

"No, we haven't done anything like that!" I yelled.

"Okay, okay, geez. Just calm down, I was only joking. But if you guys do end up getting frisky with each other, Verona and I would be glad to give you a few 'pointers'."

Before our conversation could continue, we suddenly heard the Arbiter's voice on the intercom. "Attention! This is an emergency! All heroes, report to the conference room immediately! Repeat, this is an emergency!"

The Arbiter hardly ever talked in this way, so we immediately dropped our lunches ad headed to the conference room. Inside, the room was packed with every hero in our arsenal. The Arbiter looked serious as usual, but now so did King Mashiro, and that surprised me. Mashiro waited for all the commotion to die down before speaking.

"Everyone, I have an important announcement to make." he began. The room fell silent in anticipation. "A few moments ago, our scouts on the border of the Otherworld made a shocking discovery: Nightmare is coming our way."

Those who knew of the azure knight wore expressions of shock and fear. Those who did not soon made similar faces upon explanation.

"How long do ve have until zis 'Nightmare' arrives?" asked Laura, a silver haired IS pilot. She's German.

"By our estimates, he will reach Windbloom by tomorrow. Because of the threat this enemy poses, it would be best if all of our warriors teamed up against-Ebony, where are you going?"

I was already halfway to the door when Mashiro noticed me. I paused for a moment. "Where do you think?" I said before continuing towards the exit.

"This is not the time for brash heroics, Ebony. You have not seen the foe in his current state, you do not stand a chance against him, not alone." said the Arbiter. He put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "I understand your desires for vengeance, I do, but I cannot allow you to face this enemy by yourself. You will wait here with the rest of us. Do I make myself clear?"

He gave me the most intimidating death glare he had, but I was unfazed by it. However, I knew that if I didn't obey it could get ugly in here. "Yes, sir." I said.

The Arbiter nodded in approval, then went back to Mashiro and the others to work out a battle plan. I didn't hear any of it, I had stopped listening the moment my lecture had ended. It didn't matter what anyone said, I was going to face the azure knight. And I will defeat him by myself.

* * *

Later that night, after I was sure everyone was asleep, I got up to get ready. After I had finished dressing, I shot one last glance at Yomi. The green-eyed girl didn't seem to notice my absence, and continued to sleep soundly. _There's a good chance this is the last time I will see her, even if I win._ I realized. With that thought in mind, I leaned over and placed a kiss on the sleeping girl's cheek.

"Goodbye, Yomi." I whispered.

With that, I quietly left my room and made my way to the castle gate. I was surprised to find that the gate was already open, and stopped a few paces from the exit. I sensed a familiar presence nearby.

"Have you come to stop me, Siegfried?" I said without turning around.

The clanking of metal boots on concrete confirmed his presence. "No. I could not stop you even if I tried." he said. "I have come to offer you a gift."

Confused, I turned around. Siegfried had drawn Soul Calibur from his back and held it in an offering position as he got down an a knee.

"Take it. It is the only weapon I know of that can destroy Soul Edge."

"But, won't you need it?"

"I still have my father's sword, don't worry about me."

I reached toward the weapon, but pushed it back to Siegfried. "I appreciate the offer, but I cannot accept that sword. If I am to have my vengeance, then I shall take it with my own blade."

He gave me a puzzled look for a moment, then smiled and stood up. "Spoken like a true warrior. Well then, if you will not accept the sword, then at least let me wish you luck." Siegfried held out his hand.

I took it and we shook. "Farewell, Siegfried."

"Farewell, Ebony. Good luck."

I turned to go, then stopped and realized something. I reached inside my coat and held out a letter. "If I'm not back by tomorrow, give this to Yomi."

Siegfried accepted the letter. "I will."

I nodded, then turned and flash-stepped at full speed into the desert.

* * *

It took around 3 hours to reach the plateau seperating Earl from the Otherworld. I stood on the edge of the clif face and drew my zanpakutou from its sheathe. Some distance away from me, an armored 50ft flaming giant with a gargantuan sword was approaching. His auzre armor glistened in the moonlight, and his ethereal red eyes glared at me with hate. I could sense an immensely dark reiatsu from his sword, the souls of all he had slain practically screaming in torment.

**"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AH!"** Nightmare roared.

The sound shook my very soul with fear. Still, there was no turning back now. I stood my ground and raised my sword.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."

My sword dawned its shikai form, and I aimed it at the head of the monster. "This is it. The time has come for me to face you, azure knight."

**"YOU...I REMEMBER YOU...YES, YOU ARE THE CHILD WHO ESCAPED ME. BUT THIS TIME, YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE. THIS TIME, I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!"**

"I've been waiting for this day...for too long! Now..." I leapt into the air towards Nightmare. "I will have my vengeance!"

(Battle theme: Soul Calibur 2 OST: Hellfire)

Nightmare swung his giant sword with surprising speed. I blocked the blow, but the momentum behind it blasted me to the ground. I got up quickly and readied my sword.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!"

The wave that flew from my sword struck the monster in his legs. He stumbled a bit, but remained standing. He then swung at me with his claw hand, and I was unable to avoid getting caught in his grip. Nightmare clenched his talons as tight as he could in an effort to crush me. Before he could do so, I summoned my cannon and blasted his hand. The monster roared in pain as he released his grip, dropping me towards the ground far below. I fired a shot into space to redirect my descent to the plateau. I landed roughly on my feet, then began to concentrate. A blue flame ignited from my left eye as my cannon rearranged itself into an eight barreled minigun the size of a truck. Screaming with anger, I pulled the trigger and unleashed a torrent of powerful bullets. Nightmare roared as bits of armor were blown off of him. Enraged, he slashed downwards with his sword. I flash-stepped to the side, and let the blade crash into the ground beside me. I jumped onto the sword and began running along its large blade. I jumped again when Nightmare flipped the sword in an attempt to throw me off. Instead I landed on what could be considered the flat of the sword and began making my way toward the eye. According to Siegfried, if I destroyed the eye then the rest of the sword was sure to follow, along with its wielder. I arrived at the spot, and the eye gazed at me with all the rage it could muster. I aimed my cannon at the organism and opened fire. A few bullets struck the eye, and it closed its lid to shield itself. I was about to start firing again, when suddenly tendrils grew up from the blade and wrapped around my arms and legs. Before I could try to escape, the tendrils flung me upwards. Then Nightmare brought his claw hand down on me, and I was once again knocked into the ground.

**"YOU ARE STRONG, CHILD. THAT MUCH IS CERTAIN. NOW YOUR SOUL WILL TASTE ALL THE SWEETER."** Nightmare declared.

Even with my advanced pain tolerance, I still felt as though every bone in my body was broken. I looked up to see Nightmare outstretching his claw hand.

**"THERE WILL BE NO VENGEANCE FOR YOU. NOW, PERISH BY THE HANDS OF THOSE YOU SWORE TO AVENGE."**

Suddenly, a familiar pink mist erupted from his hand toward me. I had recovered enough to be able to dodge the mist before it hit. _That bastard! He's using Byakuya's power against me!_ I summoned BRS's sword to my left hand and charged toward the feet of the monster. The mist followed, just as I thought it would. I drew in a deep breath before jumping onto one of Nightmare's feet and running up his leg. It was hard to breathe with the fire that raged around his entire being, but I continued nonetheless. As I neared his waist, I turned around to see that the mist was about to reach me. I held both of my swords in a defensive position as the mist collided. The force of the millions of blades that comprised the mist forced me upward, toward my target. Nightmare took a swipe at me with his hand, dispersing the mist. I slid down his talon a bit and used it as a springboard to launch myself at his face. As I flew through the air, I sheathed my zanpakutou and discarded my other sword. Then focusing intensely, I called forth a cannon the size of a small house and took aim. For a second, I thought I saw fear in his red eyes just before I fired. The recoil was as powerful as the blast itself, and I was sent flying back as an enormous blue projectile erupted from my cannon. I made a crater as I landed inside the cliff face. From where I was embedded, I could see the damage I had inflicted on my enemy. The upper left portion of the monster's head had been blown away. Nightmare roared in absolute rage and grabbed me. He held me close to his face, and I watched as his helmet slowly creaked open to form a huge, monstrous mouth. The next thing I knew, I was falling down the throat of the monster, fire raging all around me. If I remained here much longer, I would be incinerated. I saw what looked like the core of Nightmare some distance below me, and I redrew Shirayuki. I waited until I was right above the organ before unleashing my attack.

"Sode no Mai, Tsuki Shiro!"

Time seemed to slow down as everything began to freeze and shatter around me. I could hear Nightmare screaming as he froze to death. I closed my eyes as the monster crumbled to dust.

When I opened my eyes again, I was laying somewhere in the Otherworld, with broken pieces of flesh and armor all around me. I saw what remained of Soul Edge nearby, now nothing more than a few scattered fragments. I looked up towards the sky and noticed that it was snowing.

"I did it..." I said. "Brother...everyone...now you can finally rest in peace."

Exhaustion was beginning to overtake me again, and I welcomed the much needed sleep, regardless of where I was.

"Yomi...just wait for me...I'll be back soon..."

The last thing I remember before passing out was the faint sound of footsteps approaching me.

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

"Well done, Ebony. You have proven to me your strength. Now, rest. My Vanguard will be with you shortly to take you to paradise."

I looked down at the infant sleeping in my arms and smiled. "Come along, little one. We have much to do."

* * *

_**Yomi**__**, hours later...**_

* * *

I stared down at the letter in my hands, still unable to believe what was written on it. I could feel myself start to cry as I read over the lines one last time.

_Dearest Yomi,_

_By the time you receive this letter, I will have already faced the azure knight, and will most likely have perished. Whether or not I am victorious in this fight, I cannot say. Therefore, I wish to convey to you in this letter something I should have said long ago. You have been my greatest friend in the short time we have known each other, and have always cared for me in my times of need. It is because of this and more, that I pray I will return from my battle so that I may confes the truth in person. I love you, Yomi Takanashi._

_May we meet again soon._

_Love,_

_Ebony_

* * *

**End of Part One: Tragedy**

_**to be continued...**_


	17. Chapter 16

**Part Two: Retribution**

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Eve of Destruction**

* * *

**The Otherworld, Fury's Fortress**

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

"You called for me, mistress?" said White Steel Wrath.

The pale man knelt before me, making no attempt to meet my eyes. I sat in a chair rocking gently back and forth with my daughter in my arms. I had decided to name her Evelyn, as it sounded both sweet and strong. I allowed my attention to move from my child to my general.

"Yes. I want to hear the results of your search." I said.

"Mistress, it's been a week. We would have found her by now if we could."

He spoke the truth. Ebony had disappeared from my vision shortly after her duel with the azure knight.

Wrath scoffed to the side. "There's no way she could have survived that battle, so why are we even searching?"

"I know she won the battle, and that she is still alive. I will make her mine, I will have my happiness."

Wrath glared up at me. "Is she really that important? What could she possibly do to make you happy?"

I met the glare with a greater one. "Get me that girl, and I will show you. Now, what of your progress with the rifts? How close are we?"

Wrath lowered his gaze. "Close. We have only a few dozen more dimensions before we're done. We would already be finished, but there is a problem…"

"And what could possibly cause you hindrance?"

He looked back at me. "Our enemies have grown too numerous, and they could possibly defeat us if they got the chance. Hell, one of them was able to destroy Nightmare, even after he had gained so much power. As long as their alliance exists, we won't be able to finish our work."

I thought about this for a moment. Evelyn started fussing, and Wrath waited for an answer while I turned around and pulled up my shirt to nurse her.

"I've been thinking about that, general." I said. "I agree that our enemies have become quite troublesome, and the loss of Nightmare is indeed a great injury to our forces. However, eliminating an army of heroes is a difficult task, even for you and the Vanguard."

An idea then came to my mind, and I couldn't help but smile. I tilted my head to face my general.

"Wrath, I think I may have a solution to our little problem."

"What is it, mistress?"

"It's simple. We can't take down an entire army of heroes with so few men, so we'll just have to get an army of our own."

Wrath seemed to realize what I was thinking, as he smiled up at me. "Shall I assemble the Vanguard?"

"Yes, and tell them to head to meet at the courtyard in about…three hours. That should give me enough time to get the troops we need."

Wrath stood up and bowed. "As you wish, mistress."

After I had put Evelyn down for a nap, I went to a massive chamber in the deepest depths of my fortress. There, an enormous circular gateway with eyes on its edges and black bubbling liquid inside it lay in the center. I approached the Gehenna Gate and stood just on the end of it. Reaching out with my arms, I called out to the gate, telling it to bring me warriors who could fulfill my desires. Within seconds, a large mass began to take shape from the liquid and leapt onto the floor beside me. The liquid slowly fell off the mass, and soon a large dragon, black as night and armored in a thorn like hide, stood staring at me with glowing red eyes.

"Who are you, mortal? Who dares to summon me from Sovngarde?" spoke the dragon. His voice sounded like the chill of death, just like it was said in the stories about him.

"I am Fury, vessel to Satan and inheritor of his powers. I have called you back to life to serve me, Alduin." I answered.

"You know of me? Then you must know that I will not serve a mortal, no matter who they be. Still, you have piqued my interest in calling me back to life. What would you have me do?"

"I want you and your brethren to join me in a campaign against my enemies, mortals who think themselves the champions of justice, and believe that people like me and you are but ants compared to them."

Alduin's eyes intensified with hate, just as I knew they would. "Such arrogance! I shall remind them of what it means to invoke the wrath of a dovah!" ('dragon' in dragon language)

I smiled and gestured toward the exit, telling him to get started as soon as possible. As Alduin left, I turned back the gate. Reaching out again, this time I uttered a few words of power in order to get what I wanted.

"…your mind shall be bound in a prison of madness, to which I alone am warden, and you shall show no mercy to my enemies. Now come forth, my servant!"

The liquid bubbled again before a man sized figure leapt out of the gate. When the liquid cleared, a knight in pitch-black armor stood before me, watching through the red glow of his visor.

"Kneel, Berserker." I ordered.

The knight obeyed without question. Good, so he was still loyal. I ordered Berserker to head to the balcony overlooking the courtyard to await further instructions. Turning back to the gate, I began another incantation.

"…come forth, my servant!"

This time a large number of human sized figures arose from the gateway. When they were no longer covered in the black liquid, I could see that all the figures shared some common traits. All of them had dark skin and dressed lightly in cloaks and other ragged clothing, and every one of them wore the same white half skull mask over their face. The men and women surrounded me.

"Are you our master?" asked one of them, a woman with long purple hair.

"That is correct. Welcome back, Assassin. Or should I say, Assassins."

Like with Berserker, I had the Assassins go to wait for me at the balcony. So far I had Alduin and his army of dragons, the mad yet powerful Servant Berserker, as well as Assassin, now I needed something else to finish my army. I called out to the gate again, asking for an extremely powerful, but also vile and impure, being. My summons were answered by an 8ft tall mass that then sprouted what appeared to be four gigantic molten arms from its back. The creature was humanoid in appearance, with black skin flowing with magma and impurity. I did not realize at first what this creature was, but after focusing back on the gate, the answer was revealed to me.

"Welcome, Vlitra." I said.

The creature said nothing. It merely growled and snarled at me in distorted tones.

"If you can understand me, then listen. I have called you back to life so that you may once again unleash the Gohma on the world. I only ask that you aid me in a battle that is soon to come. Well, what do you say?"

Vlitra let out a loud roar. The Gohma monger simply stared at me for a moment before walking away.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

A few hours later, I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. The army I had accumulated pleased me. In the courtyard below, and outside the fortress walls, Gohma, dragons, and even hollows (courtesy of Ulquiorra) eagerly awaited orders. My orders. Wrath stood next to me, along with Alduin, Berserker, and one of the Assassins.

_Patch me through to Strength. I want her to see this._ I said mentally.

"_**Okeydokey. I can't wait to see the look on her face ehehehehehehe!"**_ responded Satan.

A few moments passed, and I could feel the presence of my other self in my mind.

_Take a look, Strength. This is what will bring an end to your pathetic alliance._

"Warriors," I began. "murderers, thieves, monsters, demons, servants of darkness. I have called you here for one purpose: the destruction of our enemies hiding in the city of Windbloom. They think themselves safe under their alliance, they think themselves superior to you, they think you are nothing!"

Cries of anger rose up from the courtyard.

"I have restored all of you to life, so that you may remind those stupid bastards, just how powerful you are! Rise now, servants of destruction! Rise now, demons of annihilation! Rise now, devourers of the light! Rise, and show them your power!"

The courtyard and the area surrounding my fortress was filled with roars and screams of excitement and bloodlust. I smiled and extended my arm.

"Now, go forth and destroy all that stand before you!"

As my armies began to advance in the direction of Windbloom, I let out a cackle that had been building up from the excitement. Alduin left to lead his brethren, followed shortly by Berserker and Assassin.

"An excellent speech, mistress. Very well done." said Wrath. He turned to join in the advance, but I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Wait a moment. Tell Tira and Gasai to come here. I have orders for them."

Wrath nodded and left to fetch my servants. I went back to my mental connection to leave some final words before disconnecting.

_They will reach Windbloom in a matter of days. You may inform your allies of their advance, its not like it will matter anyway. See you soon, Strength._

* * *

**Fuuka Palace, Windbloom**

* * *

_**Strength**_

* * *

I sat on my bed staring into space, the shock of what I had just seen still weighing on me. An army of darkness that spread for miles, monstrous beings that could be just as powerful as the Vanguard for all I knew. Yuu was making her move, and if I didn't tell my allies, then we would surely be doomed. I also knew that there was a strong chance that I would be resented for hiding the truth about Fury's identity from my friends. After weighing the two options, the choice was then obvious. I stood up and started making my way to the conference building at Garderobe. I will accept the consequences, no matter what they may be. When I arrived, I found the Arbiter already engaged in a conversation with Yomi, most likely another attempt to form a search party for Ebony. Since the sapphire-eyed girl had left to fight Nightmare, she has yet to return. We were able to determine from the remains we found that the azure knight had been destroyed, but nothing could be found of Ebony. It was if she had simply vanished, even with my extended sight I couldn't find her. Yomi had refused to give up, even after a week.

"Takanashi, it's been a week. We can't risk sending search parties anymore. I know you are upset about this, but please try to understand. At this point, she may not even be alive." the Arbiter said.

Yomi clenched her hands into fists. "She's alive! I know she is!"

"Then why hasn't she returned yet?"

Yomi fell silent, still glaring at the Elite.

"Listen, why can't you accept that she did what she thought was right to the end, and died a proud warrior's death? If you continue to search for her, it may only upset her rest."

"Because unlike you, I don't think of everything as being part of some stupid 'warrior code'. I won't stop looking for her, no matter what you tell me!"

Mashiro and Midori sat nearby, trying to tune out the argument. I decided this was as good a time as any to inform them of my new knowledge.

"Excuse me." I said. "I have something important to say."

The Arbiter and Yomi stopped arguing to look at me. Mashiro and Midori did the same, glad to have something new to focus on. I took a deep breath before starting.

"There is an army of massive proportions approaching Windbloom. When it arrives, we will all be slaughtered."

Everyone in the room stared at me in disbelief. They gave me looks that you might give to someone with bugs sticking out of their ears.

Midori was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. "Very. I saw it myself."

"How far away is this army?" asked Mashiro. So far they didn't seem suspicious.

"It originated from a large fortress somewhere in the Otherworld. I'd say we have only a matter of days until it arrives."

"A fortress?" asked Yomi.

"Yes. I can only assume it is Fury's fortress. However, I cannot determine its exact location."

"And you say you saw this through your extended vision?" the Arbiter asked.

"Yes."

"And yet, you were not discovered by the enemy?"

I paused. I knew it was only a matter of time before the truth escaped me, so I decided to reveal it now and spare myself the guilt.

"Actually, it was the enemy that showed me the vision. I felt a presence in my mind, and soon enough I found myself observing the army. It's as if they wanted me to see it."

The Arbiter's gaze took on its familiar ferocity. "So, what you're saying is that the enemy can reach into your mind?"

My gaze dropped to the floor. "Yes…they can see whatever I see…"

"In other words, they've been spying on us through you?"

"Yes…but I was not aware of it until recently…" I dared to meet the Arbiter's eyes. "I am not a traitor."

He didn't seem convinced. "I thought you could block anyone who tried to enter your mind, why let the enemy see our every move?"

"Do you think I want them to spy on us? I would block them if I could, but I can't! I can't shield myself from Fury, no matter how hard I try!" I yelled.

"Why not?" the Arbiter was yelling as well now.

"Because…because…"

"Well? Explain!"

"Thel, calm down!" Midori tried.

"No Midori, let him yell." I said, no longer yelling. "I can't stop Fury from observing me…because I cannot stop my other half."

The Arbiter's rage disappeared, and was replaced with shock. Yomi shared a similar expression.

"Strength…you don't mean…" she started.

I nodded sadly. "The true identity of Fury…is Yuu Koutari. My other half."

I heard a thud come from the doorway. Turning around, I found Saya on her knees in front of the door, eyes wide with shock.

"Saya…" I whispered.

"It can't be…" Saya said.

I averted my gaze from everyone in the room. Now that the truth was revealed, I could only imagine the hatred they must feel towards me.

"I don't know why she's doing this, or why she's after Ebony. She won't reveal anything to me."

"How long have you known?" Saya said after she regained the will to stand.

"For around a month. I didn't tell you because she said she would come here and kill you all if I told the truth about her identity. But now that this army is on it's way, there's no point in hiding it anymore. I understand if you feel that I betrayed you. I will accept any punishment you give me, it's only fitting that I pay for my inability to handle my other self."

The room was silent. I waited patiently for one of them to lash out in rage, but nothing happened. Instead, I found myself held in a tight embrace. Confused, I looked up to see Saya with her arms wrapped around me.

"…Saya?" I whispered.

"You don't have to pay for anything, Strength. It's not your fault."

I was about to question her, when I felt a hand on my head. To my surprise, it was the Arbiter of all people.

"I apologize for my accusations. I should have tried to understand your circumstances before making such claims."

"T-thank you, Arbiter."

Midori and Mashiro seemed to be thinking the same thing, as they nodded and smiled at me.

"Now, let us discuss how to deal with this army. How big did you say it was?" said Mashiro.

"I couldn't even count. At least a million."

"A million…well that is definitely a problem…"

"I have my fellow warriors of Sanghelios at my disposal, but I do not like those odds…" said the Arbiter.

"You know Arby-kun, I might have an idea to get more troops." said Midori, smiling mischievously.

"What do you have in mind, Sugiura?" the Arbiter looked a little scared, as did the rest of us. It wasn't often that Midori had an idea, after all.

"What if we got some of those human marines from your dimension to help? And there's also the Shwarzwind, Siegfried's gang. We could get their help too."

"That's…actually a good idea. I'll go and ask them straight away. Last time I checked, they had managed to make more Spartans."

"I can ask the other nations of Earl for aid, if that's any help." Mashiro suggested.

We all nodded in agreement. With that, we ended the meeting and informed our comrades of the incoming threat and our plans. The others were kind enough as to not reveal my connection to Fury, and for that I thanked them. After helping with preparations, Saya, Yomi, and I headed back to our rooms. On the way there, Yomi stopped for a moment and pulled me aside.

"Strength, while you were watching Fury's fortress, did you happen to-" she began.

I already knew what she was asking. "No, I didn't see Ebony. The enemy is looking for her, though. It seems Fury is as determined as you are to find Ebony."

Yomi looked a little relieved and disappointed. "Oh…I see…"

"Don't worry Yomi, we'll find her. She's out there somewhere, I can feel it."

"I hope so…"

Finished, we retired for the night.

* * *

A few days later, after several long sessions of negotiations, we had mustered a fighting force of around 950,000 Elites, marines, swordsmen, otome, and heroes. A reconnaissance trooper told us that the enemy army was nearing Windbloom, and would arrive in about 6 hours. We used the time to set up formations along the border between Earl and the Otherworld and inside the city walls. I stood on the front lines as a general, along with Saya, the Arbiter, Midori, Rin Okumura, Renji, Miyu, Arika, Silver Maul, and surprisingly, Yomi. I turned to the green-eyed girl who stood at my right. Her eyes were full of a fiery determination. She told me earlier that she would win this battle as quickly as she could, in order to continue searching for Ebony as quickly as possible. A few minutes passed, and soon enough I began to see the enemy army. Almost immediately, I began to doubt the power of our forces. From what I could see, Fury's army consisted of hollows, a large number of black and red skinned creatures that resembled deformed animals, and what looked like an endless amount of dragons flying overhead. The Vanguard stood at the front of the army, lead by none other than White Steel Wrath. The Arbiter began to recite an oath of some kind, and his fellow Elites and even Midori joined in.

"…on the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons…" the Arbiter yelled.

"We shall grind them into dust!" responded Midori and the other Elites with a shout.

The Arbiter activated a pair of energy swords. "Forward warriors, and fear not pain nor death! RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled before charging.

The rest of us echoed the cry as we followed the charge. Similar cries came from the enemy army as the y also began to charge toward us. With our weapons raised, and with blood on our minds, the battle for Windbloom had begun.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Invasion of Windbloom (pt. 1)**

* * *

**Earl/Otherworld Border**

* * *

_**General P.O.V.**_ (too many battles to be told in first-person)

* * *

The two armies collided, a symphony of screams and violent cries erupting from the chaos in its wake. Swords clashed with claws, fists tenderized heads, teeth ground into flesh, bones shattered under steel, fires burned away bodies, bullets flew and plasma flew right back, and death ran rampant on both sides of the battle. Wielding the flesh and fury of her counterpart, Dead Master, Yomi swung her scythe through Gohma, hollow, and dragon alike. Corpses piling around her, she cut them down one, sometimes two or three at a time. The shy girl who made no attempt to make new friends, who watched as loved ones fought and vanished around her, was long gone. Now there was only one thought on the Yomi's mind, that of the girl who loved her, and who she loved just as equally. She would conquer this army and find the girl, she had sworn it on her soul. In this cruel and ever-changing world, there was no room for sympathy or mercy. She realized that now. She would win this battle, or she would die. It was as simple as that. Cutting down a gorilla like Gohma, Yomi found herself standing before a knight in pitch-black armor. A smoky black aura covered the knight, but it did not hide the red glow of his visor. The knight held a long sword as black as his armor, which he was removing from the corpse of a recently slain Spartan-IV. Yomi readied her weapon as the knight turned his attention to her, and let out a terrifying roar.

"GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH HHH!" the sound was far from human, and reeked of madness.

Yomi said nothing, for it was clear that words held no meaning to the mindless monster. Berserker charged toward the girl, swinging his black sword with all his might. Yomi blocked the savage strike, and forced the knight back. She slashed at Berserker's head, but the knight leaned back and the lethal sickle sailed harmlessly over him. Standing back up, Berserker lunged at the girl. The blade struck only air as Yomi side stepped away. The green-eyed girl then spun and made a low striking sweep, catching Berserker off balance and knocking the knight off his feet. Berserker rolled to the side just before a second strike could take his head. Picking up a nearby assault rifle, the Servant dematerialized his sword as the firearm began to glow red like his visor. With a roar, the knight fired a stream of lead at Yomi, who took cover behind a slain dragon. Yomi reached out with her mind and focused on the knight nearby. Berserker grunted in confusion as black chains burst from the sandy ground and tore the rifle from his grasp before slithering around him. The Servant struggled to free himself from his binds to no avail, and watched helplessly as Yomi brought her scythe down in a vertical slash. Berserker had barely managed to evade the blow, at the cost of his helmet splitting in two, revealing a head of long dark hair and a face twisted by madness. Yomi gazed into the Servants eyes with pity as he finally broke free of his binds and rematerialized his sword.

"Someone has hurt you, am I right?" said Yomi, parrying a strike from the savage knight. "You seem like you should not be this way, mad like a rabid dog and attacking everything you lay your eyes on. I bet you were once a kind and just man, who wished no ill will upon anyone. I was like that once. But…"

Yomi ducked under a slash at her head and swung horizontally. The sound of grinding steel and carved flesh resounded on her ears.

"…I have realized, that I can no longer try to be fair. I've lost so many friends, and the one I love has undergone a permanent change. I cannot change these things, but I can change myself. I will fight to protect what matters most to me, and I won't let anyone or anything defeat me."

Berserker collapsed on the ground, split horizontally in two. Yomi looked back once as the knight's body vanished before moving on to the next opponent.

* * *

On another part of the battlefield, Silver Maul crushed every enemy that came her way. She went through Gohma, dragons, and hollows, but still she could not find the opponent she was looking for. She had seen him at the head of the army, and had charged toward him during the initial clash, but the swarm of minor enemies had separated them. Cracking yet another dragon's head open with her mace, Silver Maul noticed a faint flash of white hair not far away. Gritting her teeth, she surged toward the spot, swatting aside anything that got in her way. Smashing aside a small hollow, she now saw that the image was not an illusion. White Steel Wrath stood a few feet away, wielding both his axe and Zangetsu as he cut down everyone around him. Silver Maul lunged at the man, attempting to crush his skull in one blow. Wrath stopped the strike just before it reached his head, and turned to meet the aggressor. Upon seeing Silver's face, he grew confused. There was an eerie resemblance of himself in the woman, who had the same grey eyes and white hair. He shoved her mace aside before speaking.

"Do I know you from somewhere? You look sort of…familiar." said Wrath as he blocked another strike.

Silver Maul bared her teeth. "Where is he?" she swung at his side, catching him off guard.

"Ngh! What are you talking about?" he sputtered before counter attacking. Their weapons clashed and became locked.

Silver Maul glared straight into the eyes of her opponent. "Where is the man called Kurai Shosetsuka?" (kurai shosetsuka means-….nah, I'm sure you've figured it out )

Wrath's eyes narrowed at the mention of his counterpart. "Who are you?"

"Answer me!" she shoved him back, trying to take out his legs with a low sweep.

He jumped over the mace and brought both weapons down. "You first!"

Silver blocked the blades and rolled backwards, kicking with the blades on the back of her heels. Wrath arched back to avoid it, but was only half successful. He retracted a step, wincing at the fresh cut over his left eye. Advanced healing or not, the wound had cut too deep to heel instantly. _Dammit, who is she?_ He thought as they continued to battle._ She feels so familiar, but how?_ Wrath paused. _She knows the name Kurai Shosetsuka…she looks like me…_ He grinned madly as he prepared to strike again. _Ah, now I see._ Wrath lunged at Silver Maul with both weapons, and began rapidly striking from two different directions at a time. Silver struggled to keep up with the blows, and cringed when she felt slashes spread across her chest and arms. Seeing his chance, Wrath sent a thrust kick at his opponent's stomach, striking home and knocking them to the ground some feet away. Silver got up to her knees before she felt the tip of Zangetsu at her throat.

"It's you, isn't it? You're his daughter, aren't you?" Wrath said with a smirk.

Silver's eyes widened with shock before returning to a glare. Seeing that his suspicions were confirmed, Wrath let out an arrogant laugh.

"I don't believe it…little Fumeiyona, it is you! Oh, I can't get enough of this!"

Silver Maul's glare intensified. "You bastard! Where is my father? What have you done with him?"

"Where is Kurai? I honestly haven't got a clue. I know he's still alive, since I'm standing here. What I really want to know…" Wrath leaned closer to Silver Maul. "is what his little brat is doing out here, and why she thinks she can beat me. Well, what do you have to say?"

Silver Maul grinned for a moment before pulling her head back, then ramming it into Wrath's face. The pale man cursed and drew back, but when he looked again for his opponent she was gone. Wrath just stood there and let out a small 'hmph'.

"Foolish girl." he muttered before rejoining his troops.

* * *

As the battle raged on, the alliance forces were slowly being pushed back by the might of the dark army. The Gohma in particular were becoming an increasingly greater threat, as the largest of the impure beings trampled everything around them. The Vanguard's Priscilla defeated Miyu in a fierce battle which left a large crater behind, much to the surprise of the alliance. Okumura and Renji dueled with the numerous and stealthy Assassins, and were forced to retreat after their troops were slain, but not before killing quite a few of the shady warriors. Arika retreated to Wind city after exhausting her energy in a fight with the monstrous Vlitra, from which she barely emerged victorious. With the source of the impure beasts gone, the Gohma slowly disappeared from the battlefield, leaving only the dragons and hollows left for the alliance to face. With the loss of some of their generals and most of the Spartan-IV's, the forces of good began to fall back to the city. Strength, Saya, and Yomi remained at the front of the good army, along with the Arbiter and Midori. The Elite and the HiME never once left each other's side as they fought with sword, halberd, rifle, and Child to hold back the dark army so that their allies could safely retreat. Soon though, the odd pair were forced to fall back slightly as a new foe appeared to challenge them. A pale man, clothed in white, with dark hair and green eyes, as well as half of a horned helmet made his way toward them. Not a shred of emotion could be found on his face, and an aura of death seemed to radiate from his body. Midori and the Arbiter prepared themselves for what would surely be a ferocious battle. The man stopped around 10 feet away and held out his hand. An orb of green energy formed in his open palm.

"Cero Oscuras." the man said.

As if on command, an enormous stream of green energy burst from the orb in the man's hand. A large cloud of dust and sand erupted from where the blast landed. When it settled, a yellow bubble like shield was covering the targets of the cero. It crackled with energy for a moment before dissipating.

Midori breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was a close one. Good thing you had that shield, Thel."

"Don't relax just yet. That was the last shield I had." the Arbiter responded.

Midori nodded. "Got it. Now, any ideas on how to bring this one down?"

"Unfortunately, no. All I can say is that we better take him out quickly, or he could become a major threat to the others."

"In that case, I have a plan. Come forth, Gakutenou!"

Midori's Child was immediately at her side. The HiME jumped aboard the large creature and held out her hand to the Arbiter. The Elite smiled as he accepted the offer and joined her atop Gakutenou. Midori pointed her halberd at the pale man.

"Charge!" she cried.

Gakutenou burst toward him at incredible speed, but Ulquiorra made no attempt to move. He simply held out his hand to catch the long blade at the head of the Child. He did so, and Gakutenou came to a halt.

"This was your plan to kill me?" Ulquiorra taunted before knocking the child aside with a single kick.

To his surprise, neither Midori nor the Arbiter could be seen. Then, he suddenly felt a presence behind him.

"No…" said the Arbiter.

Ulquiorra turned around in time for the Arbiter to skewer him with both energy swords. The Elite then reached to his side and produced a small blue ball. He pressed a button on the ball, and it began to glow a bright blue. He stuck the ball to Ulquiorra's chest.

"This was our plan."

The Arbiter bolted away from Ulquiorra just before the plasma grenade exploded. Ulquiorra disappeared in a cloud of smoke, so the Arbiter turned to find Midori. The HiME was kneeling beside her Child, stroking its head.

"You did good, boy. I'm sorry it hurt you." she whispered.

Before the Arbiter could join her, Ulquiorra emerged from the smoke, with most of his body bruised and scorched. The number 4 espada drew his sword and held it sideways.

"Enclose, Murcielago." (bat)

Green energy engulfed Ulquiorra, and when he emerged he had two large black bat wings, and his helmet had regained its other half. He held out his right hand, and a green energy lance began to take shape. When it was finished, he prepared to throw the lance.

"Lanza del Relampago." (spear of lightning)

Ulquiorra threw the lance at Midori and her Child. The Arbiter quickly dashed towards them and leapt in front of Midori just before the lance struck and exploded. The pair disappeared inside the enormous explosion of energy, holding each other close.

"I love you, Thel." Midori said as she began to disintegrate.

"I know, Midori." responded the Arbiter as he burned alongside her.

When at last the blast cleared, a pair of charred corpses were all that remained. Ulquiorra walked over to see the bodies lying side by side, with their hands laying at their sides. For reasons he could not understand, he knelt down and placed the hand of one body in that of the other. Ulquiorra then walked away, leaving the fallen pair's fingers intertwined. Not far away, an Elite in white armor, addressed simply as 'Shipmaster', witnessed the death of the Arbiter and his human love. Shipmaster had easily perceived the feelings his friend held toward the human, and while it had originally disturbed him, he eventually had come to accept it. They never kissed, they never fornicated, they simply found comfort in each other's arms. The girl was a great warrior, and her reckless personality had been a good match for the outcast. Shipmaster closed his eyes and knelt down.

"May the gods watch over you, Arbiter. Rest in peace with your mate." spoke the veteran Elite. He then stood up and activated his communicator. "The Arbiter has fallen. Fall back to the city. The desert has been taken."

Hearing acknowledgements from the other generals, Shipmaster then climbed aboard the Specter that sat nearby and headed back to Windbloom.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the other alliance generals, Yomi had stayed behind. The green-eyed girl was still cutting away at the enemy ranks. She had heard the order to retreat, but refused to do so until she had taken down a large number of the enemy. It was during her onslaught, that she soon had to duck under a lance made of green energy that nearly took her head off. The lance landed somewhere far behind her, creating a huge explosion that killed several evil soldiers. Yomi looked in the direction the lance had come from, and her eyes met those of Ulquiorra, who stood looming over her. She found no feeling in his eyes, but he saw the resentment in hers, no matter how hard she had tried to suppress it.

"What are you doing?" asked the espada. "Your allies are retreating, are you aware of that?"

"I am." Yomi answered sternly.

"Then why are you fighting, when you are alone? Do you think you can kill us all yourself?"

Yomi grit her teeth. "I can damn well try!"

The girl swung at the espada, who expertly dodged the swing and landed on his feet a short distance away. Yomi readied her scythe, and Ulquiorra formed another lance. The two solemn warriors rushed toward each other, weaving around in a dance of clashing weapons. Ulquiorra thrust at Yomi's head, she dodged and swung at his waist. He back flipped over it and swung down at her, she side-stepped and slashed upwards. Ulquiorra evaded the strike, but the large blade clipped his left wing. The espada spun around and thrust his lance, managing to scrape the girl's side as she attempted to dodge. However, the wound quickly healed and Yomi swung her scythe at the espada's head. This time Ulquiorra received a long cut across his chest as he leapt back to dodge. As he prepared to charge again, he noticed something in his opponent that he hadn't yet seen. While there was a fair amount of hate in her eyes, there was also a large amount of all too familiar emptiness.

"Tell me, why are you so determined to face us alone?" asked the espada, lowering his lance slightly.

"To save the one I love, I have to be strong. I won't just sit by and let everything be taken from me anymore." answered the girl, preparing her scythe. "If I defeat you, then I'll be one step closer to finding her."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly. _Her? Ah, so that's it._ "The one you love, the girl you are searching for, it's the one with sapphire eyes, isn't it?"

Yomi's eyes flashed with fear for a moment, then she recomposed herself. "So what if it is?"

"You're wasting your time. That girl is long dead."

Yomi bared her teeth at this. "You don't know that-"

"I do. She is part soul reaper, correct? Then she would have a noticeable amount of reiatsu. But I have been part of the search parties these past few days, and not once have I detected a soul reaper's presence. If she were alive, I would have found her long ago."

Yomi trembled slightly. "Liar!"

"I do not lie. She is dead, your search is pointless."

Yomi's resolve was crumbling, and Ulquiorra could sense it. Soon enough, she would give in to depression, and he would kill her to end her misery.

"Accept it. Your determination is drawn only from a false belief. I am not the one lying, you are."

Yomi was shaking now. "Stop…you're lying…"

"All those you have slain were merely weaklings, even if you had strength you would never be able to defeat us."

"No…"

"You are weak, and you always will be."

At this, Yomi lost the strength to stand. Doubt had crushed her resolve, and now she was vulnerable. Ulquiorra walked over to the girl who sat with pure shock on her face, and raised his lance.

"Now, you will join your love in death. It is only fitting for two pieces of trash to stay together."

The words were meant to break her, but the effect they had was not what Ulquiorra had intended. Yomi let out a bone chilling scream, blasting Ulquiorra back. The espada regained his footing and stared confusedly at the girl. Yomi was standing again. The sorrow that had dominated her expression had vanished, and was replaced by a look of disappointment. The girl was not the only thing that changed. The entire area around the fighters had suddenly grown dark. The sky turned pitch-black, and an ominous green mist spread across the ground. The ground shook, and fissures began opening up, green light and more mist flooding out of them. Suddenly, a horde of skeletal figures began to rise up from the ground, wearing armor and wielding an assortment of medieval weaponry. Two gigantic skulls with green eyes rose and floated next to Yomi, who now sat on a large black throne. The girl smiled deviously at Ulquiorra, and slowly raised her hand.

"Kill him." she said in a simple manner.

The skeletal horde and the skulls rushed toward Ulquiorra, fighting off any of the dark army's soldiers who wandered too close to the battlefield. Ulquiorra rose to full height and disintegrated his lance. He had not been expecting this, and it was now clear that his first release would not be enough to defeat this girl who had consumed herself with grief. He had created this monster, and so he would become a stronger one to destroy it.

"Resurreccion Segunda Etapa." (resurrection second stage)

Once again Ulquiorra was shrouded in green energy. When the energy cleared, he now had black fur on his arms and lower body, as well as a long tail, his hollow hole was visible in the center of his chest, and black markings resembling blood ran below it. His eyes were now green with yellow pupils, his hair had grown longer, and his horns were no longer part of a helmet, but of Ulquiorra himself. Green rain began to fall from the darkened sky as he formed an energy lance. He charged to meet the horde of skeletons, slashing with his lance and firing cero. Yomi raised her hand and pointed at Ulquiorra, and the giant skulls at her side flew to attack the espada. Upon seeing the skulls, Ulquiorra tried to destroy them with cero, but the blasts just bounced harmlessly off of them. The skulls collided into Ulquiorra, smacking him around and never giving him a moment to recover. The espada decided to take a risk and threw his lance at the skulls from point blank range. The explosion that followed blew away the skeleton army and the skulls, leaving only Yomi and a severely injured Ulquiorra. The girl and the espada rushed to meet each other again, in order to end this battle with one final blow. Ulquiorra thrust his lance forward, and Yomi swung her scythe with all her might.

_SCHINK!_

The two fighters stood in front of each other, green rain pattering lightly. Ulquiorra's lance was stuck through Yomi's chest, and Yomi's scythe had stopped inches from the espada's neck. Yomi twitched for a moment before dropping her scythe. Ulquiorra removed his lance from her chest and let her drop to the ground as the throne crumbled to dust. The espada looked down at the girl. Her eyes were full of tears as her lips quietly spoke a name.

"Ebony…"

Ulquiorra turned his gaze toward the distant city, where his allies awaited.

"You were right. I lied." he said, not looking back at the girl. "I don't know where she is, but that girl is definitely still alive. Let that knowledge be your last thought before you leave this world."

The espada flew away without another word. Yomi lay in a crumpled heap, surrounded by countless dead soldiers from both armies. Her green/black blood flowed furiously from the hole in her chest, a sign that she would soon be gone. She thought of the espada's words, and how she had tried to change herself into something she was not. She thought of Ebony, whom she had failed dearly by allowing herself to die here. The soft sound of footsteps began to approach her, most likely the espada coming to finish her off. She managed to turn her eyes to meet the newcomer, and was surprised to see an unfamiliar figure. A tall man, wearing a long blood-red coat, white gloves, a red tie over a black tux and pants, and a crimson hat which obscured every feature of his face save for his eyes, which were as red as his coat. A sinister grin appeared on the man's face, showing of sharply curved fangs amidst his teeth. The man knelt down beside Yomi. She now saw that his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, and that he had dark hair.

"Hello, skull-girl." said the man. His voice was deep and ancient.

"Who…" Yomi wheezed.

"Someone who wants to see you spill more blood with that beautiful scythe. Someone who can make you stronger, and give you another chance at life. Well, maybe more like after-life."

The man's words confused Yomi. "What are…you talking…"

"If you decide to abandon the sunlight, to remain in the shadows for all eternity, I will save you. Those are my terms. So, what do you say, skull-girl?"

Yomi took little time to consider the price of this option. She understood what this man was, and what he was offering. If he could help her see Ebony again, then she would gladly take the risk.

"…Yes." she answered at last.

The man took off his hat and glasses, revealing his blood red eyes. He smiled smugly as he pushed aside part of Yomi's dress, revealing her neck.

"Then I have only one more thing to ask you: are you a virgin?"


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Invasion of Windbloom (pt. 2)**

* * *

**Wind City**

* * *

_**General P.O.V.**_

* * *

Wearily blinking herself awake, the first thing Yomi felt was the cold. Every part of her body felt cold as death, something which confused her at first until the sight of the man in red licking green/black blood from his fingers reminded her why. She had felt his teeth bite ravenously into her neck, and then everything went black. Now they were no longer in the desert, no longer surrounded by corpses. Sitting up, Yomi saw smoke rising up from somewhere not far away. There was solid concrete beneath her, and she could see a rim just in front of the man in red. Wherever they were, they were up fairly high.

"Ah, awake at last." said the man. He licked the last of Yomi's blood from his gloves. "I gotta admit, skull-girl, your blood was damn tasty. It was pretty hard to not suck you dry." He knelt down beside the girl. "So, how do you feel?"

"…Cold." Yomi replied.

"Well, that's to be expected from someone who's dead."

Oddly enough, the words didn't hurt as much as she thought they would. Yomi frowned, knowing there was no arguing against her being deceased.

"Yeah, I guess it is…"

"You're talking at least, so that's good." the man continued. "I was a little worried you'd become a ghoul, seeing as how you're not exactly…'pure'." He smirked as he finished.

"S-shut up!" Yomi reddened as she spoke.

This only made the man smirk more. "Well, I guess it only counts if you've had a man's p-"

"I get it already! Anyway, who the hell are you?"

The man's smirk spread into a smile. He put a hand to his chest and bowed. "Alucard, at your service, skull-girl."

"Alright then, Alucard, would you be so kind as to tell me where we are?"

"Can't you tell? We're in the city you trying to protect."

"This is Windbloom?! Then that smoke, does that mean-?"

Alucard nodded. "The city is under siege."

Yomi became alarmed at this. "The others! I have to help them!"

She tried to rise, but her legs failed her. Alucard helped her to her knees.

"Not so fast, skull-girl. I just turned you not even an hour ago, your body needs time to adjust to the-"

Yomi's eyes suddenly flashed a bright red, and quickly rose to her feet. Her eyes returned to normal, but she remained standing.

"Wh-what was that?" she said, surprised at her sudden burst of strength.

Alucard looked equally surprised, but the shock quickly turned to a sinister glee. "Wow, you learn fast! Without practice, you've already learned to call on your vampiric power. I think I'm gonna like you, skull-girl."

Yomi shot him an annoyed look. "Stop calling me skull-girl!" she swung her arm for emphasis, and to her surprise Alucard's arm suddenly flung in the same direction. "What the…"

Alucard stared at his outstretched arm. _For a second there, I lost control of my arm. It felt as if something was calling out to my…_ the vampire's gaze drifted to the confused girl. _My my, you're just full of surprises, skull-girl._ Alucard reached into his coat and withdrew a small pouch. He tossed the pouch to Yomi, who caught it expertly. On examining the pouch, she found it was full of blood.

"Use that to get your strength back." Alucard ordered. "I don't have time to teach you anything, so I'll just keep it simple. Right now you are a Draculina, a fledgling vampiress. The sun is not lethal to you, but you won't be nearly as strong as when night falls. For now I am your master, but once you've drunk the blood of your first victim, once you've absorbed a life, you will join me as a No-Life King. Understand, skull-girl?"

Yomi nodded. "I guess. I think I can figure out my powers on my own. Eventually."

Alucard smiled before dawning his hat and shades. He stepped towards the edge of the roof.

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Yomi.

"To the city."

"What are you going to do?"

Alucard bared his fangs in a ferocious smile as he drew a pair of high caliber handguns from within his coat. "What I do best."

* * *

The streets of Windbloom were in chaos. Citizens ran in fear as savage beasts fought with men, painting the sidewalks and buildings red with blood. White Steel Wrath casually walked down the battle filled roads, occasionally stopping to fight off a human or Elite who tried to be brave. The soldiers were easily cut apart by the powerful otherworlder, and he continued to march at a steady pace towards his goal. Fuuka Palace sat on the top of a hill overlooking the city, still a fairly large distance away. As Wrath rounded another corner, he was once again forced to stop when the blade of a black claymore swung at his head. Wrath stopped the large sword a few inches before it could make contact, and peered over at the weapon's young, and furious, owner.

"Mikoto Minagi, fancy meeting you here." said Wrath.

The young HiME scowled at him before shoving him back. "That sword doesn't belong to you." she growled.

"Oh, you mean Zangetsu?" Wrath held up the large blade and grinned. "I think you'll find it does, seeing as how Mr. Kurosaki is no longer with us."

The pale man leapt back as a vicious slash went for his waist. Mikoto steadied her sword element as she prepared to lunge again. Wrath beat her to the chance, and lashed out with both his axe and Zangetsu. Mikoto deflected both blades and countered with a slash. Wrath dodged the attack and swung again. Mikoto blocked the strikes and thrust the pommel of her sword at Wrath's face, resulting in a painful crunching sound. The pale man staggered back with a cry of anger, clutching at his broken nose.

"Damn brat!" he yelled as he swung his blades in an angry flurry.

Mikoto struggled against the dual weapons, leaping back when she couldn't find an opening. Clutching her sword with both hands, she pointed the blade towards the ground.

"Miroku!" she yelled before plunging the sword into the ground.

Dozens of black blades burst from the ground around Wrath, threatening to impale him as he dashed back and forth. He leapt out of reach of the blades and into the air, raising his weapons as he began to descend toward Mikoto. The HiME was waiting for him, and with a smirk sent forth an exceptionally tall blade which rose to lodge itself in the pale man's shoulder. Wrath groaned as he pried himself loose from the blade and dropped back to the ground. Despite his pain, the otherworlder smirked as white/black blood flowed freely from his wound.

"Heh, I've forgotten how dangerous that sword of yours is. Miroku, the same blade that that carrot-topped prick drove through my heart. The same sword that took my life two years ago." he said.

"And it will take your life again!" Mikoto shouted as she charged towards him.

Wrath blocked the strike that followed, but found himself forced back by the sheer force of the blow. Even after two years, Mikoto was still regarded as one of the most powerful if not _the_ most powerful HiME on the Orphan Resistance Unit. Wrath found himself struggling against the young girl's massive strength, and soon had to fall back a few steps to catch his breath.

"You're pathetic. You may have Ichigo's sword, but you don't have the power he had to back it up!" Mikoto taunted.

Wrath paused for a moment, then a wicked grin spread across his face. "Oh, would you like to test that theory?"

Suddenly, a white aura of immense power formed over Zangetsu. Mikoto watched in shock as the sword began crackling with deadly energy.

"No…that's impossible!"

Wrath closed his eyes and raised Zangetsu above his head. After a moment, he opened them again.

"Getsugatensho!" he cried as he swung the large sword.

An enormous white wave of power surged toward the HiME, exploding when it collided with her. When the dust cleared, Mikoto held her sword in a defensive stance, and was covered with bruises. She tried her best not to tremble at what had just transpired. Getsugatensho, a powerful burst of reiatsu that only Ichigo was supposed to be able to use, had just been expertly unleashed by White Steel Wrath. The pale man was already gathering power for another blast when she finally snapped back to reality. Mikoto side stepped out of the path of the deadly wave as it fired. She charged forward and summoned all of her power in an attempt to finish off Wrath.

"Miroku! Tosotsu-"

Wrath appeared in front of her with a charged blast. He smiled as he swung.

"Too slow."

Mikoto took the blast at point-blank range, and watched as blood burst from her body while she flew backwards, embedding herself in the concrete road. Wrath walked toward the girl who now lay broken in a crater. The girl stared blankly up at the sky, blissfully unaware of the gashes and cuts that ran all over her body.

"I…can see…Mai…" the girl said softly.

Wrath raised his weapons.

"Mai…hang on…I'll be there soon…"

He swung, the sound of gushing blood following shortly after. Wrath stared at the still girl as she lay smiling. Dematerializing his axe, the pale man knelt down and closed her eyes. He then picked up Miroku from where it lay.

"I claim your blade and all its power as my trophy. You fought well, Mikoto Minagi. Now, rest in peace."

With that, the dark general continued his advance toward the capital.

* * *

Elsewhere, Shura growled in pain as she was cut by another barrage of blades from Gilgamesh. Ryuji, as well as the IS pilots Charlotte and Laura, had grouped with her in order to increase their combat capability. They were doing fine until the golden Servant had appeared. It seemed that no matter what they threw at him, it had little to no effect. His seemingly endless supply of blades was a big problem, since he fired the weapons non-stop. Ryuji had been the first to get within striking distance, the brave bastard. He didn't realize until after he had a sword through his gut that Gilgamesh was fully capable of fighting at close range as well as long range. After the young exwire was dead Gilgamesh moved on to the IS pilots. It wasn't long before their shields expired and they were left defenseless. A spear to the chest had ended Charlotte, and Laura was busy trying not to bleed to death from the sword that was stuck in her side. Shura had managed to avoid most of the volleys, but she was quickly being worn out from how relentless the man in gold was. It was no wonder he was part of the Vanguard.

"Had enough yet, woman?" taunted Gilgamesh.

Shura forced a smile. "Nope. How 'bout you, goldy?"

"I'm getting a little bored, to be honest. I think it's time I put an end to this."

Gilgamesh summoned his personal sword, and its pillar like blade began to rotate as it built up red energy. Shura steadied herself for what was about to come.

"Enuma…" Gilgamesh started, pulling his sword back. "…Elish!" he yelled as he swung.

A hurricane of red energy roared from the Servant's weapon, too fast for Shura to try and dodge. The flame-headed woman held her sword in defense as the energy slammed into her. Dust rose as Shura was blasted back. Gilgamesh walked in the direction she had flown to find the woman embedded in a mound of concrete. Blood was splattered all around her, and what little clothing she had was torn and ragged. Gilgamesh frowned at her in pity. He thrust his sword into the woman's chest, causing her to open her mouth in a silent scream. Shura twitched for a moment before her head slumped forward and was still. Sighing, Gilgamesh retrieved his blade and checked on the others he had been fighting. Out of the four, only Laura was left alive. The German IS pilot was leaning against the remains of a building, her side bandaged and a knife in her hand. Gilgamesh shook his head at the girl.

"Please, do you really think you can win with that?" he said before summoning a short volley of blades to pin her to the ground.

Laura grit her teeth. "Arschloch!" (German for 'asshole')

"Watch your tongue, peasant. Be glad that you will die by the hands of the king."

Just as he was about to finish off the silver haired girl, a hail of bullets flew at him from somewhere to his right. The Servant shielded himself from the projectiles and drew back to get a look at his attacker. A young girl with long dark hair and grey eyes stood on a rooftop not far away, with a strange looking shield on her left arm and a machinegun in her hands.

"Homura?!" Laura said from where she was pinned.

"Oh, another one huh?" stated Gilgamesh. The gold Servant prepared to fire another barrage of weapons.

"Run, Homura!"

Gilgamesh sent a volley at Homura, and winced in confusion when she disappeared. The girl reappeared atop a pile of rubble, this time with a bazooka. Gilgamesh teleported aside as a rocket destroyed his previous position. When he looked back, Homura had already moved to a new location and was wielding two SMG's. The girl unloaded a deadly stream of lead at the Servant, but he paid it no heed and instead increased the amount of weapons he fired at her.

"I can do this all day, girl. You won't be able to run away forever!" declared Gilgamesh.

Homura said nothing as she continued to dodge the weapons. To Gilgamesh's surprise, she appeared right in front of him, drawing a handgun from somewhere inside her shield as she did so. Homura fired a few rounds at the Servant, angering him as he shielded himself. Gilgamesh then began charging his own sword.

"That's it, I've had enough of you! Enuma-"

The gears in Homura's shield clicked, and the world froze as time came to a halt. Gilgamesh could only watch as the young girl walked towards him, pulling something out of her shield. Gilgamesh felt his mouth being pried open before something round and metallic was shoved in it. Homura then walked away from the Servant and over to Laura. Removing the blades that restrained the pilot, Homura then picked her up in her arms.

"Hang on to me, otherwise you will be frozen again." The dark haired girl instructed softly.

Laura nodded, still surprised at the girl's sudden display of power. Homura teleported them to the roof of a nearby building, where she set Laura down.

"Rest here, no one should find you." Homura said before turning to leave.

"Wait! What about the enemy?" Laura asked.

The pin of a grenade dropped from Homura's hand as her shield clicked and the flow of time resumed. A violent explosion could be heard as Homura teleported away to another part of the battle. On the ground below, a bloody scorch mark had formed where Gilgamesh once stood.

* * *

Notokishi yelled as she cut down what was probably her fortieth hollow so far. The masked creatures had broken into the inner areas of the city, and had chosen to focus their assault on Garderobe in particular. The moment they heard the school was under attack, Notokishi and Verona had fled from the safety of the castle to join in the defense. While the teachers evacuated the students, the princess and her guardian held back the attackers. Verona cut another dozen of the monsters to bits with a toss of her shuriken elements before going to Notokishi's side.

"They won't stop coming! Notokishi, we should get you to safety!" Verona pleaded.

The princess shook her head as she stabbed another hollow. "No! Not until all the students are safe! Keep fighting!"

Verona nodded reluctantly before resuming combat. The pair fought off another wave and prepared to go again, when they noticed that no more enemies were approaching. They had killed them all. Breathing a sigh of relief, Notokishi looked back at the academy. She saw a trio of otome fly down to meet her. One was a woman with chestnut hair with occasional grey streaks, another had raven hair that matched her Robe, and the third was a redhead whose Robe had a spider web like pattern on it.

"All the students have been evacuated, princess." said the raven hair.

"Thank you, principal. Thank you Ms. Shizuru, Ms. Nao." said Notokishi.

"Ara, it was my pleasure." replied the brunette.

"Not like I had anything better to do." the redhead mumbled.

"Now that the school is secure, you should head back to the palace, princess. It will be safer there." resumed Natsuki.

Notokishi was about to reply, when she suddenly saw a dark figure rapidly approaching their position. "Shizuru, principal, watch out!"

The pair turned around in time for the shadow to zoom past them.

_SWISH! SWISH!_

Natsuki and Shizuru were still for a moment, then large amounts of blood burst from both women as they collapsed. The other three stared at the two dead otome in shock before the bodies disappeared. Anger rose within Notokishi, and she slashed at the dark figure. Her katana met with another nearly three times its length as her foe turned to meet her gaze. Notokishi stared in shock at the man before her, and the man did the same to her. Notokishi stared into a face that was nearly identical to her own, only slightly more masculine. There were only a few differences between the two fighters; gender, sword length, and the color of their long coats, the man in black and the woman in red. Otherwise, they looked exactly the same. The two stared at each other for a time.

"Are you two gonna fuck or something?" Nao said, breaking the awkward silence.

The two silver haired fighters shot her a look of mixed annoyance and surprise.

"Hell no! I'm gay, remember?" Notokishi said.

"Do I look like a narcissist to you?" said the man.

Notokishi looked back at her opponent. "I take it you are the one called Sephiroth?"

"That is correct. Am I to understand that you are someone held in high regard in this world?"

"You could say that." Notokishi prepared herself for battle.

Sephiroth did the same. "Perhaps if you look like me, you will be more challenging than my previous opponents."

Notokishi smirked. "I'll have to take you up on that." she turned to Verona and Nao. "Don't interfere, this is between me and him now."

"But-" Verona started.

"Don't worry, my love, I'll be fine."

Verona wanted to protest, but she obeyed and stood where she was.

"Now, let's do this. After all, there can only be one sexy silver-haired badass around here."

(**A/N:** Recommended battle theme: One Winged Angel. Any version will do)

Nao rolled her eyes as Notokishi and Sephiroth sprang into battle. The two fighters clashed blades with grace and skill, and continued to exchange blows. Notokishi thrust at Sephiroth. He dodged and slashed at her head. She ducked and swung at his legs. He jumped and slashed downwards. Notokishi blocked the blade and side stepped to take a stab at Sephiroth's right. The swordsman cringed as steel tore into his arm. He leapt back, then burst forward with inhuman speed and proceeded to slash relentlessly at his opponent. Notokishi struggled against the sudden onslaught, and bit her lip as she felt several gashes appear on her torso. Sephiroth finished his frenzy with an upward slash, disarming his opponent and knocking her to the ground. Sephiroth rested the tip of his sword at her throat.

"It seems I was wrong about you. How disappointing." he said as he raised his sword before swinging.

To his surprise, Notokishi caught the sword in her hand, a small trickle of blood running through her fingers as she did so. The princess scowled at Sephiroth as she rose to her feet and shoved his blade aside.

"Don't get so full of yourself, pretty boy. Not only have you managed to piss me off by killing two of my oldest friends, but now you've made it so I have to do something I really, really don't want to do." Notokishi growled.

The woman in red stood up straight and brushed aside part of her long hair, revealing a brilliant and gleaming blood red G.E.M. in her left ear.

"Materialize."

Sephiroth watched as his opponent's attire transformed into that of a black and red skirt, tights, shoulder pads, and coat. Her eyes turned bright red, and long red talon elements formed over her fingers. Nao and Verona watched in awe as the transformation finished with Notokishi's hair magically being tied in a long ponytail by a red ribbon.

"I've never seen a Robe like that! What G.E.M. is she using?" Nao asked, bewildered.

"The Eternal Blood Ruby. It's a meister stone that she created." Verona answered.

"What?! That's impossible! No one can make a meister stone!"

Verona's lips curled into a soft smile. "You don't know my girlfriend."

Notokishi charged toward Sephiroth with a yell, slashing with her talons. Sephiroth blocked the strikes, but felt immediately overwhelmed by the raw strength of his enemy. He continued to hold her back, when the force pushing against his sword sunk his feet into the ground.

"Do you understand now?" Notokishi said. "I am not a normal human as most people often believe. I, like my mother before me, am an otome."

With this, Notokishi pulled back her talons and thrust herself at Sephiroth, feet first. The attack was too fast for the swordsman to anticipate, and the full force of the blow struck him in the chest, sending him flying into the air. Notokishi flew after the swordsman as he recovered.

"Impressive. But you are not the only one who can change." said Sephiroth.

As if on command, a single black angelic wing sprouted from his back. A dark aura seemed to surround Sephiroth as he prepared to meet his foe. Notokishi smirked as their weapons clashed, a red aura forming around her.

"Heh, how fitting of you. It seems we both must were symbols of our shame." Notokishi said as she slashed.

Sephiroth dodged and quickly sent a series of lightning fast slashes at his foe. Notokishi blocked or dodged all of them, and repeated the same kind of assault with her talons. Sephiroth deflected most of the strikes, and dodged the rest. The two fighters flew back and forth as they clashed again and again in the air. To the onlookers below, a red light and a black light were engaged in a fierce battle in the sky above the city. Notokishi charged forward with her talons outstretched. Sephiroth did the same with his sword. The warriors collided, and the force of their clash sent a shockwave that shook those on the ground. Notokishi staggered back. Sephiroth had pierced her side, which was now darkening with blood. Sephiroth cringed slightly as the freshly made gashes on his chest took their toll. The fighters stared straight into each other's eyes. They shared the same thought: if this continued for much longer, both of them would end up dead. The battle would be decided by the next blow.

"RELEASE MIRYOKU!" (beautiful power) Notokishi bellowed.

The crimson otome's elements disconnected from her hands. The fragments floated in the air for a moment before reforming themselves into a blood red scythe. Notokishi grabbed the large weapon, and red energy began raging around her. A shadowy black aura swarmed around Sephiroth, and he raised his sword as Notokishi readied her scythe. Pausing for only a moment, the warriors then exploded towards one another at impossible speeds.

"Crimson Reaper's Dance!" Notokishi yelled just before they clashed.

_SCHINK! SHUNK!_

"Hey, Sephiroth."

"Mm?"

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

"That's what I've been told. You are an arrogant sow, are you aware of that?"

"Yeah, I know. See ya, pretty boy."

Notokishi pulled back her scythe, separating Sephiroth's head from his shoulders. His lifeless body fell to the ground below, but his sword was left thrust through Notokishi's chest. The otome princess sighed as she removed the sword from her chest and tossed it to the ground. She slowly descended toward Garderobe, deactivating her Robe once she felt solid ground beneath her feet. Verona rushed to her side and caught her just as she lost the strength to stand.

"Verona…" Notokishi said weakly.

"Hang on, my love! I'll get you to the infirmary right away and-"

"Verona, it's too late. The cut is too deep."

Tears filled Verona's eyes as she held her dying love. "Please…don't go…don't leave me all alone again…"

Notokishi put a finger to her lips. "Shhhhh. Be calm, Verona. I don't have much time left, so please let me say goodbye."

Verona nodded as tears ran down her face.

"I have known you for many years, my love. You have given me more happiness than this hopeless princess could ask for. You stood by my side even when darkness clouded my judgment, you never once gave up on me. For loving me, and for staying with me all this time, I thank you."

Notokishi put her hand in her lover's, and heard the familiar clinking of their rings meeting each other. The princess closed her eyes and hugged Verona tightly. Then she pressed a kiss to the girl's pink G.E.M. and whispered softly.

"I love you, Verona Blan de Windbloom. I love you, my bride."

Notokishi went back to her wife's tear filled face and closed the distance between their lips for the last time. Verona watched the princess dissolve into dust and disappear on the wind. She looked down at the rings in and on her hand. Closing her eyes, she closed her hand as more tears began to flow.

"Goodbye, my love."

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys! Been a while since I last talked to you. (sigh) I gotta admit, I think I died a little inside after killing off Notokishi. She was probably my favorite OC. I'm glad to see that I've finally gotten some feedback from a few people, since I'm never sure if I'm doing a good job or a complete failure. T_T lol anyways I encourage you all to review and continue reading this story, cause we're finally gettin to the good parts! Also, I'd like to know if I should continue in third person after the invasion or resume the first person angle. Till next time! DarkNovelist out.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Invasion of Windbloom (pt. 3)**

* * *

**Wind City**

* * *

_**General P.O.V.**_

* * *

Akira dodged yet another slash from Nagi's clones before collapsing to her knees in exhaustion. The Obsidian Lord's servant was quite the troublesome foe, he had already slain several other HiME before their skirmish had begun. Akira had managed to hold her ground against the endless clones for a time, but her strength was beginning to fade. One of the Nagi's stepped forward with his usual mischievous smirk.

"I should congratulate you, Akira. As of a few moments ago, Mikoto Minagi was defeated. You know what that means, don't you?" he said.

Akira looked up at the silver haired boy in shock. "No…that's impossible!"

"That's right. As of right now, you are the last HiME standing. It's a shame my lord is gone forever, you would've made him very happy as his bride."

Akira scowled as she struggled to her feet. "Bastard!"

"Oh, did I touch a nerve there? I wonder why? Oh yes, that's right. Because the Obsidian Lord was reincarnated as _him_."

Akira gripped her shuriken element tightly before lashing out in rage. "Shut up!"

The strike killed a few of the clones, but there were still many more surrounding her. Nagi shook his head in disappointment. The battle had lost its excitement, now Akira was just swinging about in anger. The clones tackled the HiME to the ground. One clone walked towards her and frowned.

"Oh well, I guess it's time I put an end to this."

He raised his clawed hand to deliver a final blow. Akira braced herself for the end, when suddenly the clone's head was blown away. Confused, the clones and the HiME looked in the direction of the gunshot. A tall man in a long red coat and hat stood a few feet away, with a pair of high caliber handguns aimed at the mob. The man grinned sinisterly.

"You on the ground, I'd get back if I were you." said Alucard.

Akira didn't give a second thought to the man's words as she sprang out of the crowd of Nagi's and over to the man's side just before he started firing again. The HiME watched Alucard smile with ghoulish delight as he killed clone after clone, each time with a single shot. The clones soon began to retreat, a glint of annoyance in their eyes aimed at the sudden intruder. The clones all gathered around a Nagi that wore his casual attire, the real one. The clones then turned into a mass of black blood that rose behind the small boy. Nagi looked straight at Alucard and smiled.

"Ouch, those bullets of yours really hurt. Care to give me your name, big guy?"

"Alucard." the vampire replied.

"Oh, interesting name. I am Nagi Homura, messenger and loyal servant of the late Obsidian Lord, current member of the Vanguard of mistress Fury."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Nagi frowned slightly. "Yeesh, you're no fun. Let's just get to the fight then."

The mass of black blood morphed into a gigantic serpent with empty eyes. The silver haired boy backed into the monster before merging with it. The serpent's eyes then turned pink, and it let out a monstrous roar. Alucard smirked as he steadied his guns and let loose a hail of bullets as he ran around the monster. The serpent simply roared and chased after him, the bullets sinking into its hide to no effect. Alucard discarded his guns as the serpent opened its maw to swallow him whole. The vampire simply laughed and caught the beast's jaws with his bare hands. The serpent was persistent, and its teeth dug into Alucard's legs and shoulders. The vampire winced slightly, still smiling as the jaws came closer to consuming him. Finally, he let go and leapt to a nearby building.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped." said Alucard.

Nagi watched from inside the serpent as Alucard's hat flew away as he brought his hands up to his eye. Anything human disappeared from inside the vampire's coat and was replaced by an infinite darkness and red eyes. Alucard's clothing became a black body suit with one of the eyes in the center of his chest, and his hair grew slightly longer and ragged. His eyes were wild and glowing with excitement and bloodlust. Nagi simply smiled and commanded his serpent to strike again.

"A costume change? That's it?" taunted the boy.

Just as the serpent opened its mouth to try and bite again, Alucard's entire right side became a mass of shadow and eyes, followed by an enormous set of vicious teeth. The head of a demon dog shot out from the mass and opened its jaws wide to take in the serpent. For the first time in his life, Nagi Homura felt true fear. The void inside of the demon dog's mouth was the last thing he saw before he was ripped apart by its jaws. The serpent fell to the ground in half as the dog swallowed its bite. The half of the serpent burst into blue flames before turning to ash. Alucard leapt down from the top of the building, his attire returning to normal as he touched the ground.

"Good boy." he said before leaving a bewildered Akira behind.

* * *

Elsewhere, Strength, Saya, and Silver Maul were dealing with a powerful opponent of their own. Priscilla deflected every blow that went her way with ease. Her ability to swing her sword at impossible speeds made getting through her defense extremely difficult. Though the otherworlders were injured in several locations, Priscilla had yet to receive a single hit. The awakened being looked at her struggling opponents with boredom. They were strong, but not nearly fast enough. Tendrils shot out from the joints in her wings, driving towards the trio. Strength managed to block the tendrils sent at her, but watched as Saya and Silver were struck. Silver Maul fell back as the tendrils retracted from her legs, and Saya went down on one knee as she attempted to keep her arms from falling off. Strength saw another volley coming their way, and held out her arms to shield her allies while she took the full force of the attack. Priscilla's bored gaze faltered a bit.

"Why are you protecting them? They're just slowing you down." said the awakened being.

Strength cringed as the tendrils left her body. "Because they're my friends, simple as that."

Priscilla tilted her head to the side. "Friends? Sounds boring."

Strength barely had time to react before Priscilla sent a lightning fast flurry of slashes at her. The small girl endured the strikes and sent a quick jab at the awakened being, catching her in the middle of a downward slash. Priscilla's eyes opened in surprise as she staggered back a bit. Her surprise faded though, and she charged again, this time with sword and tendrils. Strength struggled under the onslaught, eventually falling on her back from excessive blood loss. Priscilla stood over her, half lidded eyes burning with hunger.

"No wonder mistress hates you. You only fight for others, when the only one who really matters is yourself." she said.

Strength wearily opened an eye before closing it again in pain when Priscilla stomped on her stomach. The awakened being pressed harder against her victim as her tendrils shot out and wrapped around the other two nearby. She reached down pried open Strength's eyes for her to watch as more tendrils hovered over her comrades, and then thrust into them, slowly drawing blood as they pulled out and continued to thrust at different locations.

"Stop…stop it! Let them go!" Strength managed to get out.

Priscilla only increased the force she exerted into her foot, earning another cry of pain from the small girl. The awakened being grabbed the collar of the girl's hoodie and held her face to face.

"No, I will not stop. Not until they are dead. And once that happens, I will devour them and you."

As if to prove her point, Priscilla then opened her mouth wide before biting down on Strength's unprotected upper arm. White/black blood flowed from the wound as it slowly healed itself when Priscilla pulled away. She was about to bite again, when suddenly a burning sensation shot through her hand gripping the girl's collar. She cringed as the pain intensified, and looked at Strength's eyes accusingly, only to have that anger turn to shock when she caught her victim's expression. Strength was now glaring at her with a beast-like hatred, and her mouth was contorted in a fierce snarl. Suddenly, red-orange fire engulfed the small girl, causing Priscilla to release her so as not to get burned. Strength landed perfectly on her feet as a second pair of mechanical arms sprouted from her back.

"**You bitch…"** she growled. All of her injuries had healed. **"I said let them go!"**

Strength lashed out at Priscilla. The awakened being dodged the large fists and attempted to counter with another volley of sword slashes. To her surprise, Strength caught the sword, then crushed it while tearing it from its owner's grasp. Priscilla stumbled back in shock. The image of the troublesome Claymore who nearly killed her so long ago flashed through her mind. The small girl who was now pummeling her relentlessly had the same hate in her eyes that the Claymore had. Priscilla felt immense pain spread across her back as her wings were torn from her body. Four giant fists slammed into her gut and face shortly after. The awakened being reverted to her human form as she hit the ground. The small girl now loomed over her, still surrounded by fire and with arms raised. Priscilla waited for the girl to crush her. Strength finally regained a hold on her actions at the sight of the broken girl laying before her. The girl was staring at her expectantly, and she realized her arms were still raised. Strength glanced over at Saya and Silver Maul. Both of her allies were badly injured and unconscious, but their wounds were quickly healing. She then returned her gaze to Priscilla. The damage she had inflicted was already fatal, any more would only be brutality. Strength lowered her arms, and the set on her back dematerialized.

"Why?" Priscilla whispered as Strength turned her back to her.

"It isn't necessary." replied the small girl as she scooped up her injured comrades. "I'm not like you."

Priscilla watched the girl walk away before blue flames turned her to ash.

* * *

Siegfried looked around the corner of the alleyway. Kaia and Artherion stood silently behind him. When news of the evil general approaching the castle had reached King Mashiro, he immediately ordered Siegfried to take Kaia and Artherion and get them away from Fuuka Palace, and if possible out of the city altogether. Kaia had protested at first, begging her father to join them. Mashiro refused, saying that he and his otome would remain to face the general. Siegfried had also argued against the king, saying that if he were to face the general, then Siegfried should join him. Again, Mashiro refused. The debate ended with Nina dragging Kaia and her son out the door. Mashiro pulled Siegfried aside before he left. The knight knelt before the king.

"I'm sure you've realized, that I may not survive this day." Mashiro began.

"I have." replied Siegfried.

"If I am to die, then one of my daughters must take my place as queen of this country."

"I agree. I'm sure Notokishi will-"

"Notokishi is dead."

Siegfried paused. He looked up to see Mashiro smiling with sad eyes.

"I was just recently informed. It seems she died after fighting with one of the enemy generals."

"Your highness…"

Mashiro was struggling to keep his composure. Siegfried had learned from Kaia that the king had grieved for many days after Notokishi had disappeared for 10 years. He could only imagine how Mashiro must feel now that his oldest daughter was gone forever.

"She never wanted to be queen. She always tried to find a way out of it. The trouble that girl got into…" Mashiro made a forced laugh. He then turned back to Siegfried. "Kaia is next in line to take the throne. She'll make a great queen, I know it. But she cannot do it alone. She needs a king to help her govern the country."

Realization dawned on Siegfried. "Your highness, are you saying…"

Mashiro nodded. "You will become king of this country, Siegfried."

The German knight was overjoyed and unsure all at once. He averted his attention from the king. "I'm not worthy of such a position. After all I've done to endanger your world, to Kaia…"

"The last time I checked, Nightmare was the one who threatened my kingdom, not Siegfried. No, Siegfried is the man who gave my daughter happiness, who made me proud to be a grandparent. Siegfried saved my daughter's life, Siegfried is the one that makes me happy to call him my son."

Mashiro knelt down and took off his crown. He held the headpiece over the knight's head.

"Do you, Siegfried Schtauffen, in the event of my demise, swear to uphold the peace of this country, to protect its people?"

Siegfried looked up to the king. "I do." he said proudly.

"Do you swear, that you will become a strong ruler who can be praised by his people?"

"I do."

"And do you swear, above all else…" Mashiro paused for a moment. "do you swear, that you will keep my daughter safe?"

Siegfried nodded. "I do!"

"Then rise, Siegfried, Prince of Windbloom!"

Siegfried had accepted the crown, but hid it away in a satchel when he went to join Kaia and his son. There would be time to tell her about it and her sister later. Kaia had brought along Requiem with her, saying that she was not going without a weapon. Despite not being an otome anymore, she was able to lift the large weapon without too much of a problem. Now they were halfway through the city, halfway to the safety of the underground safe house. Siegfried nodded to Kaia, confirming that the coast was clear. The three of them ran down the street. They were about to round another corner when a monstrous roar came from overhead. A large black dragon landed with a crash in front of the family, red eyes glaring. Siegfried immediately put himself between the monster and Kaia.

"Did you really think you could run, mortal? None can escape Alduin!" declared the dragon.

Siegfried charged at the monster. Alduin simply huffed and unleashed a blast of fire breath on the knight. Siegfried raised Soul Calibur in defense, creating a barrier of ice around him. Alduin stopped breathing fire and crushed the barrier with a single swipe of his tail. Siegfried swung at the dragon's head. Alduin dodged his attacks and lunged forward with his teeth. The dragon bit onto Soul Calibur and wrenched the sacred weapon away from the knight, knocking him back in the process.

"An enchanted blade is nothing to me." Alduin taunted.

The dragon arched his head back in preparation of a killing bite. Siegfried got to his feet and rolled away as the dragon bit down.

"Siegfried!" Kaia called.

He turned his attention to her. Kaia had Requiem in her hands.

"Catch!"

Kaia tossed the large blade. Siegfried caught the weapon and slashed upwards just as Alduin tried to bite him. The ancient dragon recoiled after having the underside of his mouth sliced. He glared at the knight. Siegfried returned the glare, without the slightest hint of fear.

"Yol Toor Shul!" shouted Alduin, unleashing a powerful blast of flame.

Siegfried rolled away and took cover behind a pile of rubble. A strange feeling had awoken in him at hearing the dragon speak in its tongue. Unfamiliar words began to build up inside him, begging to be released. He got out from cover and turned to face the dragon.

"Fus Ro Dah!" shouted Siegfried.

A powerful blast of wind burst from Siegfried, slamming into Alduin and making him stumble. The dragon stared at the knight with a slight hint of fear.

"Impossible…dovahkiin?!" Alduin realized.

"Dovah-what now?" said Kaia.

"I don't know how this can be, but if you think you can beat me with so puny a shout as 'unrelenting force', you are gravely mistaken!"

Siegfried thought about the dragon's words and the blast that had just occurred. An idea crossed his mind, and he smirked cockily. Siegfried held his sword in thrust position, then raised the hilt to meet his lips.

"Fus Ro Dah!" he shouted again.

The power of 'unrelenting force' propelled the blade like a rocket, and before Alduin could realize what was happening, the sword had lodged itself in his skull. The ancient dragon roared in pain as his body was stripped of its flesh as it was burned away by blue fire. Reduced to ash, Alduin was no more. Siegfried retrieved his father's blade from the pile of ash and returned to his family.

"What the hell was all of that?" asked Kaia.

"I…have no idea." answered Siegfried.

* * *

Ulquiorra stood atop a tall building, gazing down at the burning city below. The armies of good and evil were now fighting tooth and nail with each other, resorting to any weapon they had to kill their enemies. The espada saw no reason to intervene, so he merely sat as an observer to the destruction. That is, until a dark reiatsu presented itself to him. It was near, very near, and also… vaguely familiar. Ulquiorra turned around to see a shadow standing on the other side of the building. The shadow had a feminine outline, as well as two vertebrae shaped horns coming from the top of its head and the outline of small jagged wings coming from its back. Ulquiorra's eyes widened. It couldn't be. She was dead. He had killed her himself. And yet, the green eyes that shone when she walked into his field of view were unmistakably hers. The espada instantly formed an energy lance. He was still badly injured from his previous encounter with the scythe wielder. To his surprise, the girl did not draw her weapon. She merely approached him unarmed.

"I don't know how you're still alive, but I will make sure you do not survive a second longer." said the espada.

Ulquiorra prepared to hurl his lance at the girl. He began to extend his arm, when suddenly it twitched against his will and the lance was sent flying somewhere far beyond the girl. Ulquiorra tried to regain control of his limb, but it would not budge. Yomi continued to approach the espada. Ulquiorra tried to form a lance in his other hand, when it also stopped listening to his commands. He didn't have to be a genius to know it was the girl who was doing this, but he could not figure out how. It wasn't an illusion, and he didn't sense anything wrong with his nerves, so how was she controlling him? Yomi now stood a foot away from the espada. She clenched her hands into tight fists, and was rewarded by a crunching sound from all four of the espada's limbs. It had been interesting, learning that she could now control the bones of the living as well as the dead. Ulquiorra fell to his knees, trying not to cry out in pain after having both his arms and legs broken spontaneously. Yomi knelt down and stared deep into the espada's eyes. Ulquiorra watched as the girl's eyes changed from green to a bright red.

"I didn't survive. I'm dead." Yomi said. "You killed me."

"Are you a ghost?" asked Ulquiorra.

Yomi opened her mouth, revealing finely curved canines amidst her teeth. "What is your name?"

"Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"Then, Ulquiorra Schiffer, you will be my first."

And in the next instant, Yomi had sunk her fangs into the soft tissue of Ulquiorra's neck. The espada went wide-eyed as blood escaped his body in gallons. In his last moments, his thoughts drifted to Inoue, who sat safely in Fury's Fortress. With one last gasp, Ulquiorra slumped over lifelessly onto the rooftop. Yomi stood up and watched his body turn to ash. She took off her gloves and ran a finger through her bloodstained teeth. She had done it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought she heard Alucard laughing insanely as he congratulated her.

* * *

Some time later, White Steel Wrath stood atop Fuuka Palace, with a broadcasting mic in his hand.

"Attention, warriors of good and evil." His voice rang out through all of Windbloom. "I am general White Steel Wrath, commander of Fury's Forces. I wish to announce to you all that my army will now be withdrawing. Enough blood has been shed, and there is no point in continuing needless killing. Warriors of light, do not think this means you are victorious. We are withdrawing, because we have won. King Mashiro and his otome are dead, slain by my hands. Let this be a lesson to all of you."

He paused for a moment before finishing.

"Light cannot destroy darkness, it can only conceal it from view. Only darkness can undo darkness. And that, dear warriors, is why you will never defeat us. Farewell."


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: The Sword Maker**

* * *

**Unknown Location**

* * *

_**Ebony**_

* * *

"Wake up."

The voice sounded like a slightly higher pitched version of my own. I tried to open my eyelids, but they refused to budge. I was exhausted, but I couldn't remember why. I felt weightless, as if I were floating. I moved my arm around a bit, and felt something wet. I got the same result when I moved my other arm. Now curious as to what I was laying on, I forced my eyes open. A starless sky with endlessly falling snow was the first thing I saw. Blinking a few times to clear off drowsiness, I glanced around at the rest of my surroundings. Snow covered rolling hills where all I could see. I tried to look at the ground beneath me, and was rewarded with half of my face plunging into liquid. Coughing a few times to empty my lungs, I managed to tilt my head up slightly and saw that I was in a pool of black liquid.

"What…what the hell? Where am I?" I asked, hoping the voice from earlier would answer me.

To my surprise, it did. "Good question, but you're a little off."

I heard the sound of feet sinking into snow somewhere off to my right. Standing on the bank of the pool was a pale woman wearing a white kimono with black flowers etched into it. The woman had long and unruly white hair that stretched just past her waistline, and piercing red eyes. Her face looked exactly the same as mine.

"The real question is, where are _we_?" said the woman.

Before I could ask her what she meant, the strange world and the woman faded away.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring up at a wooden ceiling. Blinking a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I decided to investigate the strange woman later on. It took me a minute to realize that my head was resting on a pillow, and that everything below my neckline was under a blanket. _How many times have I woken up like this?_ I wondered as I tried to sit up. I suddenly felt a breeze down my back as the blanket slid off, and nearly shouted in surprise when I realized that aside from my panties and some bandages wrapped around my chest, I was completely naked. Panicking, I looked around desperately for Shirayuki. My sword lay next to my clothes in a neatly made pile on a bench not far away. Looking around the small room, I sighed in relief when I found that I was alone. While putting on my clothes and sword, I noticed a small metal tray with bandages and bits of metal inside. With a start, I realized that the bandages were covered in blue/black blood. My blood. Looking down at the bandages around my chest, I saw that they were in a similar state. Before I could further investigate the tray's contents, a delicious aroma suddenly reached my nostrils. My stomach growled as if I hadn't eaten in days, so I followed the scent and exited the small room. I walked down a short hallway to an open door and looked inside. A short woman, around the same size as me, was standing in front of a stove and humming. Her back was to me, so I could only see her long red hair, with a pair of long pointed elf ears sticking out, and the silver dress she wore. I stepped into the kitchen as quietly as I could, but I guess she must have had great hearing, because her ears perked up and she turned around to face me with beautiful green eyes.

"Oh! You're finally awake!" the woman said in a sweet voice.

"Uh, hello." I replied. I held out my hand. "My name is Ebony."

The elf woman smiled brightly and put her oven mitt covered hand in mine. "I'm Hikari. Hikari Shosetsuka."

I returned the smile. "Nice to meet you, Hikari."

Hikari nodded before turning back to the stove and turning a dial in the 'off' position. She then picked up a large bowl with holes and put it in a nearby sink. Then she uncapped a pot on the stove, and the room was flooded with a tasty aroma. It smelled of meat, tomato, and spices.

"You woke up at the perfect time, Ebony. I was just finished with making lunch." said Hikari. "Go ahead, take a seat."

I walked over to the nearby table and sat down. The woman didn't seem threatening, and I was pretty hungry, so I felt it was safe to put down my sword. Hikari came over to the table after a few minutes with two bowls. She sat down in a chair across from me and passed me a bowl. It was full of a dish I was unfamiliar with, noodles with a red meaty sauce and powdered cheese spread over the top of it.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Spaghetti." Hikari answered happily as she took a bite. "It's my husband's favorite."

After I had tried the strange new food (which was insanely delicious), and after Hikari had finished her bowl, I decided to get a few questions answered.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Shosetsuka-"

"Please, just call me Hikari."

"Okay, Hikari then. Could you please tell me where I am?"

"You're on Gaea, of course. Or Earth, if that's what you prefer."

"Okay, but where exactly?"

"Up in the mountains, just past the memorial of Asura."

"I'm afraid I don't know who or where that is. This must be a dimension I haven't visited yet."

"Dimension? Oh, so you're a traveller, eh?"

I chuckled lightly. "I guess you could say that." I took another bite before continuing. "Hey, how long was I asleep?"

"About a week."

I nearly spit out my food. "A week?!"

"Yeah, crazy huh? You were in pretty bad shape-"

"I have to get back! Who knows what might've happened while I was gone!"

I stood up to leave.

"Wait! You just woke up, you have to take it easy or-"

I was halfway down the hall when a sudden burning sensation shot through my chest. It was so painful I thought my heart was gonna explode. The burning sensation spread to my lungs and it became hard for me to breathe. I heard a grotesque crunching sound and turned to see a jagged spike starting to protrude from my right shoulder. Hikari ran to where I lay writhing on the floor and knelt down beside me. She whispered some words I didn't understand, and her hands began to glow. She put her hands on me, and slowly the burning sensation and the spike in my shoulder vanished. I felt something warm start to seep into the bandages on my chest.

"Stupid! You reopened the wound!" Hikari said as she turned me over onto my back.

The elven woman pulled my jacket aside and went to work on the bandages. I was too exhausted from the pain to feel embarrassed when she tore the bloody rags off and exposed me. She took a close look at my chest before sighing.

"It looks like its calmed down now." she then shot me a stern look. "What were you thinking, letting this get inside you? Don't you know when to dodge?"

"What…are you…talking…about…" I gasped.

Hikari walked into a nearby room, then returned with a small mirror.

"Does this look familiar?"

I froze when I saw it. There, stuck halfway into the left side of my chest, almost striking my heart, was a jagged piece of metal. Red, tendril-like feelers had sprouted from the piece and stretched about an inch in every direction. I had a piece of Soul Edge stuck inside me. Perfect. I slumped my head back against the floor with a defeated sigh. _And here I thought I had avoided getting battle scars._

"How deep is it?" I asked.

"Very deep. The tip of it stopped centimeters from your heart. You must have had one hell of a fight to get the injuries you had, with all those bits of metal stuck in you. I don't know as much about otherworlders as my husband, but I'm pretty sure that a blade through the heart can kill you."

I stared at her in confusion. "You know about otherworlders?"

Hikari nodded. "My husband has been to their world a few times. If it weren't for him and me, you'd probably be dead right now. Or possessed."

Whoever this 'husband' was, he was probably the one I wanted to talk to. "Hikari, can I speak with your husband? I have some questions that he might be able to answer."

"Alright, but I'll have to help you get to him. He's most likely up in his training grounds."

"Thank you, sorry for the inconvenience."

Hikari smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it. I was planning on heading up there soon anyway."

After helping me to my feet and letting me lean slightly on her for support, we made our way out the front door. The bright rays of the sun hit me as I took in the view of the front yard. It was like a small plateau, with green grass and a garden, probably Hikari's. A large open shed like building stood not far away, next to it a path leading further up the mountain to the training grounds. As we passed by the shed I saw blacksmithing equipment inside, as well as an assortment of various edged weaponry. Most common among the weapons were gigantic greatswords, similar to the zweihander that Siegfried used.

"Your husband must be quite the blacksmith." I noted.

Hikari giggled. "He sure is. He takes a lot of pride in his work, even going so far as to name every weapon he makes."

"He must be strong if he makes a lot of blades like those." I gestured towards the greatswords.

Hikari nodded. "Zweihander's are his favorite type of sword."

We began to slowly ascend the stone steps carved out of the mountainside. I eventually regained the strength to walk on my own, and left Hikari following a few steps behind me. I stopped when I reached a tablet carved into the side of the stairway. On it was etched a depiction of a shirtless man with six arms, roaring in anger. A name was inscribed below the man.

"'Asura'." I read.

"That's one of my husband's ancestors. Legend has it he was a powerful demigod general who was betrayed by his fellow generals. He rose from the grave and took vengeance on them, and eventually took on the creator of the universe, and won. He was known for his terrible wrath, which appeared to have no end until whoever had angered him was destroyed." Hikari explained.

"Lovely." I said sarcastically.

Further up, I came across another tablet. This one had a another shirtless man, only taller and with a large sword slung across the back of his waist. The man was grinning madly, and had a devilish look in his eyes. I looked down at his nameplate.

"Augus." Hikari read for me. "He is another one of my husband's ancestors. He was the teacher of Asura, and one of the generals who betrayed him. He was neither good nor evil, he sought only to fight for the sake of fighting. He may carry that sword, but he would only draw it if his opponent proved strong enough. I think my husband takes after him a bit more than Asura, to be honest."

I thought I heard Hikari sighing before we continued our ascent. When we began to near the top, loud grunts and crashes could be heard. We sped up the rest of the way up the stairs.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me, they're still going at it?" Hikari said as we reached the top.

The training grounds were basically a gigantic circular arena with a waterfall on the side nearest the mountain. On one end of the circle stood a shirtless young man with brown hair who looked to be around 18. He held a strange looking golden sword. On the other end of the arena stood a slightly taller man wearing only a black leather jacket on top, and pants and shoes below. He had dark hair and blue eyes, and looked to be around 20. Like Augus, the taller man had an enormous sword resting horizontally on the back of his waistline. There were craters scattered here and there around the two men, yet neither looked injured. The shorter man was the first to notice us.

"Hey, looks like we've got company." he said. His voice was light yet wise.

The taller man looked over at us and smiled. "Hello there! Glad to see you're finally awake! I was starting to get worried about you." he said. His voice was deep and headstrong.

"Are you guys _still_ fighting? I thought you would have finished by now." Hikari said, annoyed.

The tall man chuckled. "Sorry 'hon. I would have been back earlier, but this stubborn bastard just doesn't know when he's beat."

"Maybe if you drew that sword of yours, it would be over sooner." said the other man.

"No can do, Ekkue. This is probably the last time you and I will be able to fight one another, so I want to enjoy it as much as possible!"

The taller man burst forward, fists ready. Ekkue steadied his sword and blocked the punch that came at his face with the flat of his sword. Then he leapt up and slashed downward at the tall man, who blocked the gold sword his bare hand. The two continued to exchange blows with each other, each time either blocking or dodging the other's blows. After a few exchanges they began to fight so fast that I had trouble keeping up with their movements.

"Hikari, how long have they been fighting?" I asked.

"Two hours."

"Two hours?!"

Hikari nodded. "Ekkue, the one with the golden sword, is the Dinoblade Master, and an old friend of my husband. Well, they're more like friendly rivals, since neither of them has ever beaten the other."

"The other man, the one who has yet to draw his sword, is he your husband?"

Hikari smiled proudly. "Yes, that is none other than Kurai Shosetsuka, the 'Silent Rage' Master. That is my husband."

I looked back at the fight. Kurai was smiling with mad joy as he fought with Ekkue, just like the image of Augus. Kurai sent a series of rapid punches at the Dinoblade master, who dodged them all expertly. But while he prepared to counterattack, a lightning fast kick landed in his gut, and he flew back a solid 20 feet. Ekkue caught himself before he landed on his back. Kurai charged toward him with fists ready again. This time though, Ekkue ducked under the punch at his face and slammed the hilt of his sword into Kurai's gut, knocking the taller man back. Kurai coughed a few times as he staggered backwards before preparing for another attack.

"Kurai, this has gone on long enough. Draw your sword and let's end this!" Ekkue demanded.

Kurai shot a glance at Hikari, who nodded in return. Kurai returned the nod, then looked back at Ekkue. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, if that's what you really want. Just don't blame me if you lose a limb or two." he said.

Kurai reached around and took the massive sword in his hand, then held it horizontally.

"Cry silver tears, Misery."

Kurai cast off the scabbard of the sword in one swift motion, revealing a 6ft long blade of pure silver. An upside down skull formed the handguard of the large weapon, so that the grooves along its dual edges looked like tears streaming form the skull's empty eyes. Kurai then put his sword beneath the running waterfall, and pulled it out. He held his sword out until a drop began to form on the tip of the blade.

"Once this drop hits the ground, the duel will be over." Kurai said.

He flicked his sword upwards, flinging the drop in an arch over Ekkue's head. Then without warning, he surged toward the Dinoblade master. What happened next was a blur, but I heard the clanging of metal and the spilling of blood. The next thing I knew, Kurai was standing behind Ekkue with his sword thrust forward, just in time for the drop of water to touch the tip of his blade. Ekkue held only half a sword in his hands, the other half nowhere to be found. A deep cut had been made on the shorter man's chest, and another twice as big on his back. Kurai then stood up straight and turned around. The other half of Ekkue's sword was stuck in his side.

"…wanna call it a draw?" Kurai asked.

"Works for me." Ekkue responded.

"Cool. Sorry about your sword."

"Nah, its okay. I've got plenty to spare."

Kurai groaned as he pulled the blade out of his side. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. You can go back to your students now."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. See you, Kurai."

"Later, Ekkue."

With that, the Dinoblade master disappeared. Kurai sighed before walking over to me and Hikari and returning with us to the house. After sending his wife out of the room and putting away his sword, he turned his attention to me.

"So, you've finally decided to wake up? Good. I trust you know about your current predicament?"

"Sort of. I know that I have a piece of Soul Edge inside of me, and I know enough that I can tell its not good." I replied.

Kurai laughed. "That's an understatement. Do you want to know how bad it really is?"

Nervously, I nodded.

"That shard in your chest is trying to posses you. It must have realized the benefits that come with being an otherworlder such as yourself. Or I guess I should say, a half-otherworlder, Ms. Kuchiki."

This surprised me. "You know about my condition?"

"That and many other things, Ebony."

"How do you know so much about me?"

"Because just like our good friend Strength…" he pointed his finger to his forehead. "I can see inside here."

I suddenly became even more nervous, and a little pissed. "What exactly…did you see?"

"Enough to know the basics, and that the sooner we can get that shard out of your chest, the sooner you can get back to Takanashi. I'm sure she's just as worried about you as you are of her right now." Kurai smiled sympathetically. "It must be nice to be as young as you are now…"

"What do you mean, 'young'? I'm over 150 years old! How old are you?"

"2017. And a half."

"Wow…" not even the head captain was that old. I snapped out of my surprise and back to the issue at hand. "So how do I get rid of this shard? Can't you just pull it out like you did with the others?"

"The other pieces were just shrapnel. I can't remove the shard like I did with the others, not without killing you. And if I did that, then we'd all be in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

Kurai smiled mischievously. "Let's just say that you have an important part to play in this war, and if you die now then any chance your friends have of winning will be lost. It is my belief, that you, Ebony, will be the one to defeat Fury. No pressure." he added the last part with a smirk.

The fact that he had such high hopes for me made me feel pretty special, and all the more determined to get back to Yomi. "I understand. I'll try not to disappoint you, so please help me remove this shard."

Kurai's smile faded. "I will help you, but I'm afraid there is only one way to remove the shard." he stood up and loomed over me, gazing down at me with blue eyes that saw into my very soul.

"You must defeat yourself."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, I probably should've mentioned this a while ago, but this story is also written in conjunction with Ekkuesuteria's Dinosaur Hearts series. By this I mean that every now and then certain characters from his story (such as Rex Owen, Trotejy, and Ekkue) will appear here. While my story is mostly independent from his, sometimes events from his story will influence events in mine, and vice versa. For more information regarding the connection between our works, please refer to my bio. Please leave a review, and keep reading this story, since we are now getting nearer and nearer to the end. Till next time! DarkNovelist out.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Dark Reunion**

* * *

**Shosetsuka Estate, Gaea**

* * *

_**Ebony**_

* * *

At first I was confused by Kurai's words. Defeat myself? What the hell could he mean by that? But then he explained to me that the shard of Soul Edge was using my 'other side' as a vessel to take control of my body, and that I had to defeat it if I were to remove the shard. Of course, I had no idea how I was supposed to do that, much less how I could even reach my other side. When I had said this, Kurai told me to meet him at his training grounds the next evening, and all would be explained then. I spent the next day recovering my strength; cooking with Hikari, helping Kurai forge a new sword, and meditating by the waterfall. It was odd really. When he wasn't fighting, Kurai was calm and collected, and only occasionally raised his voice. Hikari was always cheerful and lighthearted, although considering her height I wondered about her age and if Kurai was one of 'those' kind of guys. When I asked her about it, she merely laughed and told me that since she was an elf, she also lived a long time, and was in fact over 1200 years old. Apparently the odd couple had a daughter, but she had been missing for a time, looking for her father when he disappeared for a time. When evening finally came, I went up to the training grounds just as I had been instructed the night before. Kurai was waiting, wearing a black kimono in place of his usual leather jacket and jeans. We stood in the center of the circular arena before Kurai began.

"Before I send you to defeat your other side, there is something I must teach you." he said.

"What would that be?"

Kurai took a deep breath before continuing. "I know this sounds like a bad idea, but I want you to get angry. Really angry. Get absolutely livid."

"Are you crazy? You know what'll happen if I do that!"

"Do you want my help or not?"

"I don't see what this has to do with getting this damn shard out of me."

Kurai rolled his eyes and did something I never expected him to do: without warning, he reached out with both his hands, and groped my breasts.

"Hmm, a little on the small side, aren't they?" he said.

Without thinking of the consequences, I lost all control and immediately lashed out with my sword in rage. Kurai let go of me and dodged the strike, then leapt out of range of my sword.

"Good, step one is complete." he said, smiling. He then struck a combat pose. "Now, come at me."

Still blinded by anger, I swung at him wildly, never once landing a hit.

"You goddamn pervert!" I yelled as I sent a quick slash at his side.

Kurai barely dodged it, and he spun around to deliver a quick roundhouse kick to my head. I stopped the kick with my bare hand, then took the hilt of my sword and rammed it into his stomach. He groaned once, then smiled before head-butting me so hard that I flew back at least 10 feet. I regained my balance before my back hit the ground, then lunged at him again. I didn't yell this time as I struck at him, focused more on my opponent than my rising anger. The angrier I got, and the longer I kept my mouth shut instead of wasting energy screaming, the faster and stronger my strikes suddenly became. Soon I was attacking so fast that I couldn't keep track of my own movements. Kurai was smiling the entire time, lost in the thrill of combat. Eventually I got confused by the sudden rise in my speed and strength, and failed to notice the uppercut that struck me in the stomach. I backed off and prepared to go at him again, but then I noticed that Kurai was now dusting himself off and standing normally.

"Impressive, you really do learn fast." he said.

I stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"You felt it didn't you? When you were getting angrier and angrier, you put the energy into your attacks instead of letting it out in some barbaric battle cry. By keeping your rage suppressed, you were able to unleash it more effectively. This is my teaching, the art of 'silent rage'."

Suddenly his actions made more sense. I looked back at my clothing and pulled some of my hair around to the front. They were still black. I had somehow managed to avoid losing control using his technique. However…

"I see. So that's what you wanted to teach me. But why the hell did you have to grope me?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I thought it would be the quickest way to piss you off. I'm sorry about that, by the way. There's nothing wrong with having a small chest. In fact, small breasts are much better than big breasts! At least in my opinion."

I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or creeped out, but it did explain why he had a short girl for a wife.

"Now that you know this technique, you will be able to stand up to your other side, without giving them power." Kurai continued. He gave me a serious look as he stood in front of me again. "Are you ready?"

Returning the look, I nodded. "Yes."

Kurai nodded and put his hand on my forehead. "Remember, you will only have one chance. Do not fail."

I gave him a smirk. "Relax, this wouldn't be the first time I've done this."

Kurai smiled right before I lost consciousness.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the strange place I had dreamt of the day before. Snow fell from a starless black sky. Snow covered hills rose and fell everywhere I looked. This time however, I was not inside a pool of black liquid.

"So, you came back."

I turned around at the sound of the woman's voice. She stood on a snow dune behind me, her white hair and kimono blending into the snowy scenery. She smiled at me with her red eyes as she descended the hill before stopping beside me.

"So what do you think?" she continued. "Is our world not beautiful?"

"It is indeed a lovely place, but also lonely and void of life." I replied locking eyes with the woman.

"You're right, it is quite lonely isn't it? Well, perhaps the loneliness will subside once _she_ is in our arms once again."

"I must say, you've taken on a strange new look, Black Rock Shooter. Or are you Sode no Shirayuki?"

The woman smiled at me innocently. "Actually, I am both."

"Do you have a new name as well, then?"

"I do. I have decided that since you are named Ebony after your garb and hair, then as your counterpart I shall be called Ivory."

"Makes sense. Do you know why I'm here, Ivory?"

"Yes."

"And what do you have to say about it?"

Ivory's smile changed from innocent to wicked. "I'd say that you are a fool to think you have a chance against me!"

(**A/N: **Recommended battle theme, Alte Burg by Yousei Teikoku)

Ivory then drew a large black sword from somewhere behind her and slashed at me. I blocked the weapon, and with a start recognized what it was. The sword in Ivory's hands was none other than Soul Edge. The cursed sword had turned completely black, aside from its mad yellow eye. I shoved Soul Edge aside and backed away from my counterpart.

"Why do you have that sword?" I demanded.

"Because I have embraced its power. This sword is strong, and with it we could have anything we want! Power, order, chaos, they would all belong to us! With this, we can make even Fury bow down to us! We can make a new world for ourselves…and, for Yomi as well."

I paused for a moment. "Do you really think, that she would want a world like that? Don't be ridiculous!"

I lunged at my counterpart, striking with all my might. Ivory seemed unfazed by my attacks and countered each one with an even stronger blow. Ivory cut at my side, surprisingly fast despite the size of her weapon. I dodged and countered the attack. Ivory leaned back, letting the blade sail harmlessly over her face. She snapped back to standing position, and swung down at my head. I barely stopped the weapon and watched a few severed hairs fall to the ground. Ivory pressed her sword harder against mine, and I began to feel my feet sinking into the snow. My counterpart gave me a smirk before pulling back and sending a powerful slash that cut across my stomach. The force of the blow knocked me back. Feeling the injury begin to heal, I quickly got back up and clashed with my counterpart again. I concentrated for a moment before my other sword materialized in my left hand. Now that I had a second weapon, I was able to stand up to the crushing blows Ivory sent my way. I parried a strike from my counterpart before swinging both weapons at her. Ivory was unable to prevent my dual blades from cutting across her chest and shredding part of the kimono. Before she could recover, I sent a flurry of lightning fast slashes at her, cutting my counterpart nearly everywhere. Ivory growled as she threw a punch that struck me square in the gut. As I backed away in pain, she stood up to her full height and glared at me. Her kimono was in ruins, and she hid herself behind the large sword.

"What's the matter? Didn't you say that sword was powerful?" I taunted.

Ivory's glare turned into a wicked smile. "Oh, just you wait."

She moved the sword aside and cast off what was left of the kimono. My eyes widened as I at the sight of what lay beneath. Ivory stood before me wearing a suit of azure armor, much like Nightmare's. The only difference was that her arm was not corrupted. Ivory let out an insane laugh as red energy began to swarm around her.

"Now, let's see if you can still talk shit about me!" she yelled.

My counterpart charged at me, smiling like some kind of mad demon as we began to exchange blows once again. Her attacks had suddenly become stronger, and even with dual swords it was difficult to parry and block her blows. I cut at her from two different sides. Ivory caught one sword and parried the other. I tumbled forward as my counterpart tore my zanpakutou from my grasp and slashed across my back. I tried to rise and face her, but felt the heavy hilt of Soul Edge come down on my head and my face was buried in snow.

"How pathetic. When you were up against Nightmare, you were so much better. But, I suppose it's impossible for you to overcome the azure knight when it is you yourself inside the armor." Ivory taunted.

I managed to lift up my head and glare at my counterpart. She smiled deviously back at me.

"Perhaps I should show you what it would be like to accept this power."

A human sized pillar of red energy surged up from the ground from beside Ivory. To my horror, Yomi emerged from the pillar, on her knees and wearing a very suggestive dress that emphasized her medium bust and her curves.

"Yomi?!" I said.

Her eyes were half lidded and vacant of emotion, and she stared out into space.

"Yomi, over here." said Ivory.

Yomi turned to face my counterpart, and opened her mouth in a weak smile.

"Come."

Yomi crawled over to Ivory and wrapped her arms around my counterpart's leg. Ivory smiled fiendishly and ran an armored hand through her hair.

"Yomi, look at me."

Yomi looked up at my counterpart. Ivory cupped the girl's face and pulled her into a deep kiss. My counterpart stared back at me as their kisses began to get more and more passionate, to the point where their tongues were now dancing with each other. Ivory eventually pulled back.

"Now, the real fun begins." she said.

My counterpart then reached for the straps on Yomi's dress and began to pull them down. Anger like I had never felt before rose up inside me, and I got to my feet. Keeping my rage sealed within me, I pointed the tip of my sword at my counterpart's throat.

"That's enough." I said.

Yomi disappeared, and Ivory leapt back and reached for Soul Edge, landing softly as she grasped the weapon.

"Oh, was it too much for you, seeing the girl we desire so helplessly obedient to our will? Succumbing so easily to our desires?" my counterpart taunted.

I said nothing. I closed my eyes and held out my sword to the side. The immense rage building up inside me begged to be released, and I would be more than happy to take it out on my counterpart.

"Silence? That is unlike you." Ivory said.

I opened my eyes to meet hers. Sapphire met crimson, and both of us had a tight grip on our weapons. Focusing, I burst toward my counterpart, and in the next instant I was standing behind her, red/black blood dripping from my sword.

"Im…possible…" I heard Ivory say.

I turned around to face her. My counterpart held only half of Soul Edge, and her armor had been cut to bits. Ivory glared at me in disbelief as blood began to pour out of her mouth and wounds.

"Why…why do you not give in? Why not make everything ours?"

"I do not desire…a false love like that." I replied.

Ivory smiled weakly. "I see. It seems you have become stronger than ever before, Ebony. Very well, I will withdraw for now. But should you ever change your mind, I will be here, waiting."

With that, my counterpart collapsed, and the world inside my mind disappeared.

* * *

"Ebony? Ebony? Ebony, please, wake up!"

The voice was unmistakable. I opened my eyes with the hope that I wasn't just hearing things. My eyelids slowly drew back, and I caught sight of those familiar long black curls. I smiled as tears of joy began to form in my eyes.

"Yomi…" I said softly.

My gaze rose to her lips, which were turned up in a sad smile as tears ran down her face. A gloved hand reached down and put itself on mine. I closed my fingers around the hand, relishing the contact I had missed from this girl. This was Yomi, the real Yomi.

"Thank god…I was so worried about you….I was starting to think they were right, that you were dead." her angelic voice trembled as she spoke.

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"I left Windbloom a few days ago with Silver Maul, Rin, and believe it or not, Renji. We searched for you for three days, and now we've finally found you."

I glanced around the room. Kurai must have moved me here after I lost consciousness. It must have been night, because the only light came from the moon shining through the window. We were completely alone.

"Where are the others?"

"They're with Kurai and Hikari. As it turns out, Silver Maul is actually called Fumeiyona, and she's their daughter."

"That explains a lot."

"Ebony, I have so much to tell you…a lot has happened while you were gone."

I could hear the sadness in her voice, and I was pretty sure that whatever happened, it definitely wasn't good. But right now, I could honestly care less about the rest of the world. I sat up and threw my arms around Yomi, pulling her close in a tight hug.

"You can tell me all about it later. Right now, I just want to hold you."

I thought I heard a light sob escape Yomi's lips. She wrapped her arms around my waist, holding me tighter than I held her.

"Yomi?"

"There is something I have to tell you, and it can't wait. It's too important." she sounded like she was about to cry.

"What is it?"

"Do you remember, when I said I would love you no matter what you looked like or what you turned out to be?"

"Yes, why?" this didn't sound good.

Yomi took off a glove and brushed her bare hand against my cheek. Her touch was cold as ice.

"Why are you so cold?"

I heard her gulp. "That's because there was a huge battle, and when I fought in it, something terrible happened. I went up against a man called Ulquiorra…" she moved me in front of her so she could stare into my eyes. She no longer wore her glasses. Her eyes were no longer green, they were now blood red. "…and I died."

I froze. All of my joy had disappeared. I knew who Ulquiorra was, and I could understand why she would've lost against him. But if what she said was true, if she really has died…

"So, does this mean you're just a ghost then? And this is all just another horrible Nightmare?" I said, averting my gaze.

"No!" Yomi cried, pulling me tight against her chest.

She felt real, and I could her a faint heartbeat.

"I did die, but I was given a second chance. I'm not a ghost, I'm…a vampire."

I looked up at her again. She was staring at me with pleading eyes, begging me to believe her. She opened her mouth, and I could see a set of fangs in her teeth.

"See?" she said.

"Yeah…I see them, but I can't believe them. Wait, if you're a vampire, does this mean you're gonna suck my blood?"

"Of course not! I only fed once, and that was on Ulquiorra. Trust me, he didn't taste very good."

"Well, he is a hollow, after all." I laughed.

Yomi pouted at this. "Is it alright, if I'm like this? If I'm a monster?"

I smiled and put a hand on her cheek. "You're no more of a monster than I am. Vampire or not, you're still Yomi. You're still the girl I fell in love with."

Yomi smiled. "Thank you."

"Now, if it's alright with you, I think we have some catching up to do…" I said as I took off my jacket.

Yomi blushed slightly. "Do you mean it? Are we really going to…"

I nodded. "Yeah, I think it's about time we confirmed our relationship."

Yomi smiled brightly and started undressing with me. Soon enough, our clothes were lying in messy heaps on the floor. I took in the sight of Yomi's beatiful body as she stood before me. The moonlight that reflected off her smooth skin only added to her beauty. My eyes traveled from her luminous red eyes to her medium sized bust, feeling a slight pang of envy for having such a small chest. I noticed her eyes traveling along my body as well, and nearly jumped when her eyes met mine. I looked away in embarrasment.

"Is something wrong?" Yomi asked nervously.

"No. It's just...you're beatiful." I admitted shyly. "I'm kinda jealous, I'm nowhere near as pretty as you are, not with all my scars and everything..."

Yomi walked over to me and put a hand on my cheek. "That's not true. You are beautiful as well, even more so since you have the best qualities of both Mato and Rukia." she tilted my head to face her. "And you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

Yomi returned the smile, and slowly put her lips to mine. I returned the kiss, and allowed her to lower me onto the bed sheets as we lost ourselves to passion. It was awkward at first, having never slept with another woman before, but with Yomi's help I eventually got the hang of it and we had quite the wild night. When it was over, my lovely vampire girlfriend smiled and held me close. I returned the smile and gave her a light kiss before falling back onto my pillow. Yomi closed her eyes and nestled her head in my neck.

"I love you, Ebony." she whispered.

For once, everything felt right with the world. I wanted this moment to last forever, to stay in her arms for the rest of my life. I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes.

"I love you, Yomi."

* * *

**A/N:** Still not the original yuri fest I had planned on, but it's still sweet. Again, will possibly upload the dirty version at a later time. Till next time! DarkNovelist out.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter** 22: Abduction**

* * *

**Shosetsuka Estate, the next day…**

* * *

_**Ebony**_

* * *

I woke up to the rays of the sun leaking in through the window to my room. I sat up yawning, and stretched out my arms to work out any knots that may have formed during last night's 'activities'. Now that I had tried it from both sides, I could form an honest opinion: sex with another girl was way better than sex with a guy. I looked down at my chest as the sunlight struck it. The shard of Soul Edge was gone, but it had left a nasty scar. Oh well, at least it wasn't trying to possess me. For now anyway. Yomi stirred sleepily next to me, her arms still wrapped tightly around my waist. I smiled and ran a hand through her hair, earning a childish smile that showed off her fangs. Oh shit, that's right, her fangs! I recalled that Yomi had bitten me on accident while I was getting to know her lower body with my hand. I may not mind being an otherworlder, but I'm not too thrilled on the idea of becoming a vampire. I've already got enough crazy crap to deal with. I found a pair of tiny puncture wounds right above my sternum, panicking until I realized that the skin had barely been broken. Sighing, I turned back to my sleeping beauty and lowered my head just above her ear.

"Hey, time to wake up, sleepy head." I mused.

Yomi's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she smiled brightly when she caught sight of me.

"Good morning." she said sleepily.

"Good morning to you too."

I gave her a light smooch before getting up and drawing back the shades. I didn't want my girlfriend turning to ash or something, after all. We got dressed and headed toward the kitchen, where the others were waiting. Fumeiyona now looked completely different, she now had green eyes and long dark hair, and looked much more relaxed than she had been when I knew her as Silver Maul. Renji sat talking with Kurai and Rin at the table, and he went silent the instant he caught sight of me. His face went into a slight frown.

"Hey." he said.

"Hey." I mimicked.

Yomi and I sat down at the table as Hikari and Fumeiyona brought over breakfast. While we ate I was caught up on the events that had transpired in my absence. After a great battle that took the lives of several talented warriors on both sides, the enemy had retreated back to Fury's-or I guess I should say, Yuu's fortress. Siegfried and Kaia were now the king and queen of Windbloom, and Verona was made the new principal of Garderobe. I was very surprised and very saddened to hear that Notokishi had died. The older of the princesses was a bit of a pain sometimes, but she had always been a good friend to me and Yomi.

"I wish I had been there…I probably could've helped." I thought out loud.

Rin put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. If you hadn't defeated Nightmare, then we probably wouldn't have had a chance against them."

I smiled at the young man's words. "Thanks, Rin."

After breakfast, we decided it was best for us to return to Windbloom and start working on how to defeat Fury. Before we left, Kurai took me aside to his forge for a moment.

"I have something you might find useful." he said.

Kurai searched the back of his forge until he let out a triumphant 'A-ha!' and went back to me.

"Here." He held out a katana with a finely crafted scabbard to me. "A parting gift, for my first student in 1000 years."

I took the sword in my hand. The weapon was about half a foot longer than Shirayuki, and felt surprisingly light.

"Go on, try it out." Kurai suggested.

I drew the sword from its sheathe, and gazed in awe at its pure silver blade. The hilt of the weapon was wrapped in blue cloth, and had a uroboros shaped handguard. I swung the weapon a few times. It felt perfect in my hand, as though it was made specifically for me.

"I know that you prefer to use your zanpakutou, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a backup demon slayer or two. I call it Achreios, it is one of the first swords I ever made."

"Thank you, I'll be sure to take good care of it." I said as I sheathed the sword. "By the way, there's something I want to ask."

"Go right ahead."

I shot him a stern look. "It's still there, isn't it? Even though the shard is gone, I still feel the presence of Soul Edge within me."

Kurai was still smiling even at the sudden change in mood. "Yes, a part of the cursed sword has taken root in your soul. It will not vanish unless you can find a way to send it back to hell."

"If you knew, then why not try and cure me?"

"Because I believe that whether you like it or not, there will come a time when you will need that power."

I frowned at him.

He laughed it off before finally giving me a serious face. "Listen well, Ebony. While you may be destined to end this war, there are still great sufferings which you must endure, and nothing can prevent them from befalling you. I wish you luck, and may your battles be glorious, and your love pure."

That was the last thing he said before I joined the others and left for Windbloom.

* * *

**Fury's Fortress, a few days later...**

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

I stared at the black liquid bubbling inside the Gehenna Gate. Evelyn slept soundly in my arms, unfazed by the perpetual darkness of the underground chamber. Even though she was little more than two weeks old, she was already the size of a two year old, and was able to talk. Perhaps the accelerated growth carried over into her post-fetal development.I waited patiently for my general to answer my sumons. Wrath came into the room a few minutes later, smiling proudly. I noticed he had acquired an elegant new sword, as he had one slung at his side.

"What's this? A new trophy?" I said.

Wrath smiled and looked at the weapon. "Yes. I gained Excalibur after taking vengeance on another of the three who bested me."

"So, your revenge is finally complete?"

Wrath frowned slightly. "Well, it's as close to it as I will ever come. The last of the three is out of my reach. Her fate will be determined by you."

"Good, glad to see that you understand."

"So, why did you call me to this place?"

I smiled. "Surely you must have felt it too. It seems that she has finally left her hiding place."

"You mean...?"

"Ebony has returned."

Wrath gave a look of genuine surprise, but it was quickly replaced with annoyance. "I suppose you'll want me to go after her, right?"

I shook my head. "No. I need you to finish connecting the other dimensions to the Otherworld. I have Tira and Yuno working on pinpointing her location."

"But those two are just humans! Tira might be able to capture her, but Gasai is sure to die."

"Obviously, that's why I'm sending someone else to do the fighting."

"Wait...but if I'm not going, then why am I even here?"

"Because you have something that I need, something that will make me a warrior Ebony cannot defeat."

"What could I possibly..." Wrath noticed my gaze was on the large sword slung across his back. "Ah, so that's your aim." he realized.

I pointed toward the Gehenna Gate. "You know what to do."

Reluctantly, Wrath took the weapon from his back and cast it into the black liquid.

"A shame. I was starting to get rather fond of that sword." he said before leaving.

I turned back to the gateway. Extending my hand, I called out to it.

"Return to life. Let the darkness that lies dormant in your heart be released. Become a slave to your desires, and bend only to my will. Rise up, and become the demon you feared to unleash. Rise!"

Evelyn awoke at my summoning, and her amber eyes drifted towards the figure that began to rise out of the liquid. If she were a normal child, I'm sure she would have screamed at the sight of the humanoid monster who growled and stared with empty eyes. Instead she looked at the beast in awe.

"Kaa-san, what is that?" she cooed in a sweet voice.

I smiled as the monster knelt down before me. "Someone who's going to make me very happy."

* * *

**Abandoned hotel, around the same time**

* * *

**Ebony**

* * *

And now, at long last, we're right back where we started. Over the last five months, I've managed to fall in love, get my heart broken, turn into a half-person, lose my world to a demon, fall in love again, get revenge for my fallen friends and family, have a mental battle with myself, and experience love between two women. As I lay wrapped in a bath towel looking up at the cracked ceiling of my room, I couldn't help but think about how much this war had changed me, both mentally and physically. If it is as Kurai said, and I am fated to defeat Fury, then how was I supposed to do it? And what did he mean by 'great sufferings'? While I pondered over this, a knock came at my door. I didn't have to ask to know who it was.

"Come in." I said.

Yomi walked in and closed the door behind her. She was wearing little more than her underwear. I smiled as she sat on the bed beside me and started running a hand through my hair.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Lots of stuff. Why my entire family was wiped out, when I became what I am now, how I wound up having a vampire as a girlfriend."

"Oh, is that all I am?" she playfully lowered her arm to the rim of my towel.

"I'm sorry, I meant a sexy and badass vampire girlfriend." I put a hand up to caress her cheek.

That was all the incentive she needed to tear off my towel and capture my lips in a passionate kiss. The soft thud of a towel and underthings hitting the floor was the last thing I heard before we began tonights activities.

The next morning (or what felt like morning, the sky is always dark in the Otherworld) while I was searching for something to make breakfast with, I bumped into Renji. Our eyes met for a moment before he tore his gaze away from mine and took a seat at a dining table. It had been like this since we had started making our way home. Not much conversation outside of combat, mostly awkward silence. But after four days of this, I decided it was time to clear the air.

"You know, something's been bugging me for awhile now." I started.

Renji grunted in acknowledgement. He was listening.

"I can understand why Yomi and Rin came looking for me, maybe Fumeiyona as well. But what I don't get is why you decided to come along. I thought you couldn't stand to be around me now that I'm a _murderer_?"

Renji looked in my direction. His usual stoic frown was on, but I noticed it falter a little at my question.

"Well? Why did you come searching for me?"

"I promised to take care-" he started.

"Don't bullshit me. If you really thought that way, you wouldn't have said what you did."

He let out a deep sigh. "I wanted to...apologize."

"For yelling at me or taking advantage of me?"

"...both."

"Well, I'm waiting."

"...I'm sorry."

"That's it? You're going to have to do better than that."

He grunted in frustration and stood up. "Goddammit, I'm trying! I was being a dick, I know I was! I don't have any excuse for it! You just changed all of a sudden and I didn't know what to think! I thought you were gone! I couldn't handle the one I love changing so much so quickly! I'm sorry! Is that good enough for you?"

I waited for him to sit back down. "I suppose it'll do." I said, smiling mischievously.

Renji groaned in frustration, but he seemed to feel better.

"Don't think I'm going to come running back into your arms."

He chuckled lightly. "I know. I don't expect you to."

"Besides, you're not nearly as good in bed as Yomi."

He made a shocked face that was so ridiculous, that if Rin hadn't walked in right then, I probably would've burst out laughing.

"Mornin' guys!" the exwire said cheerfully. He noticed Renji's shocked expression and paused. "Uh, did I miss something?"

"N-nothing important." Renji mumbled, turning red.

Rin just shrugged his shoulders and joined me in the kitchen shortly before Yomi entered the room. After eating, we continued on our way back to Windbloom. About an hour later, Yomi slowed down. She was staring up at the sky.

"Yomi?" I asked.

"Something's not right...since when were there crows in the Otherworld?" she said pointing up.

I followed her finger and caught sight of a swarm of crows flying over us. Yomi was right, this was definately not something you would see in the Otherworld. I suddenly sensed an immense dark reiatsu. It was close. Very close. I drew my zanpukotou from its sheathe and alerted the others of my discovery.

"What type is it?" Rin asked, sword already drawn.

"It's power is incredible, much too high for a regular gillian or adjunchas. The only thing that could have power like this is either an arrancar or-"

**"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"** came a monstrous roar as a human sized shadow lept into the air above us.

"-a vasto lorde!"

(Recommended Battle theme: Asura's Wrath OST: Hatred Incarnate, Evil Ryu)

The hollow descended toward our group, and I could make out red markings on its chest and face. Rin sent a burst of fire up at the hollow, and it disappeared inside the flame. The fire faded, and there was nothing left of the monster.

Rin stared up at the sky in confusion before smirking triumphantly. "Huh, well that was ea-"

"Rin, behind you!" I warned.

The exwire turned around just in time for the hollow to drive a pitch black blade through his chest. Rin groaned once before a second strike severed his torso from his legs. The hollow roared again, just as the flames dissipated from Rin's body and his halves hit the ground with a thud. Its body was silhouetted against the moonlight, but it appeared to be a tall man with forward arcing horns and long hair. His hollow hole was situated in the center of his chest, the centerpoint of the red markings. His eyes were empty behind his skull mask, and he held a vaguely familiar black katana in his hand. An image of an old friend flashed through my mind, but I ignored it and focused on activating my zanpakutou. It was impossible, after all. The hollow looked among the three of us before setting its gaze on me.

**"Ooo...eee...aaa..." **came a low growling sound from the hollow.

"I don't know what you're trying to say, monster, but you'll pay for killing my friend!" I yelled as we charged toward the creature.

I swung at his head, and he caught my sword with lightning fast speed. I was too surprised by this to stop him from flinging me aside in order to block an attack from Renji, who already had Zabimaru in shikai form. Renji exchanged blows with the vasto lorde repeatedly, never once managing to even scratch him. Yomi had already summoned her scythe and joined Renji in attacking, but the additional fighter didn't make a difference. The vasto lorde sonidoed ('sonido' is the arrancar equivalant to a soul reaper's 'flash step') behind the two fighters with his sword arm drawn behind his back. With a yell, he swung his sword, unleashing a massive wave of black and red energy. The image flashed in my head again, this time stronger. I forced it to go away. _No! It's just a similar attack! It's not him, it can't be him!_ I thought to myself. Renji and Yomi had been blown a long distance away by the blast, leaving me to fend for myself until they recovered. I summoned my black katana to my other hand and rushed the hollow. I poured my rage into my attacks, making use of Kurai's teachings. To my surprise, the hollow kept up with my speed. I saw an opening in his attacks, and took the chance to slash at his sword hand, effectively disarming him. The hollow was unfazed however, and resorted to attacking with his sharp claws. I struggled to defend against his endless onslaught.

**"Roo...gee...yaa..."** the hollow growled again, a little more coherently. Even his distorted voice sounded familiar.

"What?" I muttered. It almost sounded as if he was trying to say-

"Ebony, duck!" Renji called from somewhere behind me, interrupting my train of thought.

I ducked just in time, Zabimaru's extended blade slamming into the hollow as I did so. I looked back at Renji. He was badly injured by that blast from earlier, and limped forward as the links of his word popped back into place. Yomi lay passed out on the ground behind him in a similar condition. As much as I wanted to run to her side, I knew it would be better to deal with the enemy first. Renji now stood beside me.

"You alright?" he asked weakly.

"Yeah. What about you and Yomi?"

"I've had worse. Takanashi is out cold, must have hit her head on one of these damn rocks when we landed. Other than that, she's alive."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

The hollow growled again and extended his right arm. His sword instantly flew back from where it had landed into his waiting hand. Renji and I charged toward the hollow together.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji yelled.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" I yelled.

Renji's sword extended and a torrent of ice and snow burst from mine. The hollow stood unmoving. A ball of red energy suddenly built up at the tip of his horns, and he leaned forward as a gargantuan cero exploded toward us. The blast dispersed my wave and destroyed Renji's sword. Before either of us could try to react, the hollow sonidoed right next to Renji and thrust its claws into his chest. I heard a crunch followed by a revolting squishing sound before the hollow withdrew his hand from Renji's body. The red haired man fell to his knees, then collapsed.

"Renji!" I cried. Even if he was a major idiot, he had still been my closest friend for most of my life.

The hollow stared down at Renji's corpse before looking at me. I tightened my grip on my swords as I rocketed toward the hollow.

"You bastard!" I yelled, anger clouding my judgement.

The hollow held out a hand and caught both of my swords. Then to my surprise and horror, he broke both blades in half. Before I could reach for Achreios, which sat slung across my waist, the hollow dropped his sword and grabbed my wrists. I struggled against his iron like grip as he picked me up by my wrists and held my face close to his. I was helpless in his hands. He would surely kill me, then kill Yomi. But to my surprise, he did nothing. He simply stared at me.

"Who...who are you?" I stuttered, embarrassingly shaking with fear. "W-what do you want with me?"

The hollow paused for a moment. Then his mouth slowly began to move as he slowly growled, **"Ru...ki...a..."**

I froze. It called me Rukia. I recognized the slight fondness hidden in that grumpy, young, unmistakable voice. I could feel tears build up in my eyes as yellow eyes appeared from the depths of the hollow's mask._  
_

"It's you, isn't it?" I whimpered. "Its you, isn't it, Ichigo?"

The hollow's eyes showed a hint of sadness. The light of the moon shone down on Ichigo, and his orange hair was illuminated, along with Zangetsu, which sat on the ground. There was no use denying it any longer: Ichigo had somehow been brought back to life, and had become a vasto lorde in the process. If Fury had wanted to really ruin my day, then she had done exactly that and then some.

**"Rukia..."** Ichigo growled again. There was longing in his voice.

"Idiot! You stupid, fucking, idiot! You killed them, Ichigo! You killed our friends, you fucking idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?! Let go of me!" I cried as I kicked at him weakly, tears of anger and sorrow streaming down my face.

Ichigo ignored my protests and continued to stare longingly at me. Eventually he let me fall to my back on the ground. He held out one of his hands toward me.

**"Rukia...come..."** he offered.

"Where?" I asked, hesitantly reaching around for Achreios.

**"Mistress...waiting...wants to...meet you...somewhere...safe..."**

"What if I refuse?"

**"Not...option...Refuse...take you...by force..."**

He reached down to grab me, when all of a sudden his forearm bent backward and slammed into his face. Confused, I noticed Yomi was now sitting up and had her hand held out.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Yomi growled, baring her fangs.

Ichigo glared at her in rage. With a roar, he sonidoed over to her and brought his foot down on her arm, breaking it with a painful snap. Growling, he then closed his clawed fingers around her throat and began to squeeze.

"Ichigo stop!" I pleaded, grabbing onto his arm.

He ignored me and continued to squeeze. Yomi's face began to change colors.

"Ichigo, please! Stop this! Let her go!"

He glanced over at me. **"Why?"**

"Because I'm in love with her!" I blurted without thinking.

Ichigo froze. Yomi had barely started to regain her breath when Ichigo resumed strangling her, much harder than before. Desperate, I drew Achreios from its sheathe and slashed at him in one fluid motion. Ichigo watched his arm fall from his body, releasing Yomi as it hit the ground. His gaze drifted over to me for a moment, and then he lashed out with his remaining hand and tore the sword from my grasp before aiming it at Yomi.

"NO!" I cried as I put myself between him and my lover.

Ichigo glared at me. **"Move."**

I remained still.

**"Move!"**

"No! Not until you promise me that you won't kill her!"

Ichigo's eyes twitched, torn between rage and regret. He began to lower the sword, but then raised it again as his eyes filled with frustration.

**"You come...then I...not kill...deal?"** his severed arm regenerated and he held it out to me.

I knew I had no chance at fighting him, not without giving in to Ivory, and I wasn't about to do that. and, it was the only way to save Yomi. Reluctantly, I put my hand in his.

"Deal."

Ichigo nodded and shook my hand, then let me kneel down next to Yomi. I put my head on her chest and listened. It was faint, but there was a heartbeat. I let out a sigh and ran my hand through the unconscious girl's soft hair. I smiled sadly before closing the distance between us for what could possibly be the last time. I felt her stir beneath me. Ichigo growled in impatience. Quickly, I moved to her ear.

"I love you, Yomi." I whispered.

Just as I stood up to go, Ichigo stabbed Achreios into one of Yomi's wings. I glared up at him accusingly.

"What the fuck?!"

**"I said...not kill...I can't...let her...follow..."** Ichigo replied.

It made sense, and the injury was not a fatal one, but it still pissed me off. Reluctantly, I stepped towards him, and he made a garganta (hollow portal) to take us away. I stepped inside the gateway and glanced back at Yomi. Her eyes were open and staring at me in shock. I tried to say something just as the portal closed.

"Help me!"

* * *

**A/N: **Bet you didn't see that coming, did you guys? Be sure to review! DarkNovelist out.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: The Seed of Darkness**

* * *

**Fury's Fortress, two days later…**

* * *

_**Fury**_

* * *

"Mistress, I beg you to reconsider-" my advisor began.

I silenced him with a glare. "My mind is made up, Neeba. He will join our ranks, even if it won't be for long."

"But it's more than obvious he's up to something! Why else would he leave his master and come to you?"

"I'm well aware of that. I don't trust him anymore than I trust you or general Wrath, and I'm sure he knows it." I turned back to the person of interest, who stood smiling arrogantly in his khaki shorts and shoes. "Isn't that right, Sanmex?"

The purple haired boy bowed respectfully. "You are hard to deceive, mistress Fury. It is true, I may or may not have a trick or two up my sleeve."

I scoffed at his smug expression. "As long as it doesn't conflict with my interests, I will let you be. But if you give me the slightest hint that you will interfere, I will burn you on the spot. Do you understand?"

"Loud and clear, mistress. Don't worry, I can safely assure you that I will not get in your way."

"See that you don't. Welcome aboard, Sanmex."

Sanmex smiled and bowed again. "I am honored, mistress Fury."

I nodded, then turned toward the door. "Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have some important business to attend to."

I caught sight of Sanmex mockingly sticking his tongue out at Neeba just before the door closed behind me. I made my way through the halls of my fortress, which were now bustling with activity. Now that Ebony was finally in my grasp, preparations for the most important day of my life had immediately begun. I passed Inoue's room, where she worked diligently sewing Ebony's attire for the occasion. She wore a sad smile on her face every time she looked from her work to Evelyn, who sat playing on the floor nearby. My daughter noticed me passing and smiled brightly, the way only a child can.

"Kaa-san! Come play with me!" she offered.

I was just about to oblige, when I remembered where I was heading. "Sorry dear, I can't right now. Kaa-san has something very important to do." Noticing her sad pout, I quickly added "But when I'm done, I'll play with you for the rest of the day. Okay?"

That did the trick, and she smiled again and happily nodded. "Okay!"

I smiled and continued on my way to my chambers. I hadn't had the chance to meet Ebony in person since Ichigo brought her here yesterday, since I had been too busy raising more troops from the gate, and then after that Sanmex showed up out of nowhere and my troops started attacking him. By the time everything had been sorted out, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep in Inoue's room with Evelyn curled up beside me, just after ordering that Ebony be kept in my quarters. With Rider gone, I was her only parent, and although my fortress was probably a terrible place to raise a child, Evelyn didn't seem to mind it one bit. My thoughts went to later this evening, where Evelyn would surely ask me to read her another story before bed. She really seemed to like that time a lot. While I was thinking, I bumped into Wrath in the middle of the hallway. He stared at me in slight anticipation of a beating.

"Sorry. Watch where you're going." I said, and left it at that.

Wrath stared at me, dumbfounded. I sighed and continued on my way.

**"Whoa, that was unusual."** Satan cut in, ruining any chance I had of resuming happy thoughts.

"What are you talking about?" I groaned. I really wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now.

**"That clutz general of yours just bumped into you, and you didn't even growl at him."**

"So? I don't have to waste my time with him."

**"Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that kid is making you soft. Remember, as soon as your wish is granted, you must submit to my will."**

I stopped for a moment. I was about to argue back, then realized I had arrived at the door leading down to my room.

"This discussion is over."

I heard Satan sigh before disappearing back into my subconscious. Driving the short exchange out of my head, I descended the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, I heard what sounded like grunts of protest coming from inside my room.

"Stop squirming! I just want to have a look!" a familiar voice said.

Recognizing the voice as Tira's, I burst into the room to find her restraining Ebony's hands above her head with one hand, while trying to rip open the bandages on her chest with the other. The pair looked over at me as I stood in the doorway, shaking with rage. Tira gulped nervously and let go of Ebony.

"M-m-mistress! I-I can explain!" Tira stuttered.

"Out. Now." I growled.

"But, I need to-"

**"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, RIGHT NOW!"**

Tira obeyed and immediately bolted past me and out of the room. After listening for the door at the top of the stairs closing, I sighed and turned back to Ebony. The sapphire eyed girl was sprawled out on my bed, her hands tied and her coat, boots, and gloves lying on the floor. She stared at me with a face I had only seen through Strength's eyes. It was petite and beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as she had been when it was Mato's face on that body. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. I closed the door to my room behind me and walked over to her, stopping a few feet away from the bed. I put my hands on my hips and smiled as I traced over her small yet lovely figure.

"We meet at last, Ebony. Welcome to my humble abode." I said, extending my hand.

The sapphire eyed girl glared at me with mixed hate and confusion. Nervously, she reached out and put her hand in mine.

"You must be Fury. Or, should I call you Yuu?"

"Call me what you will, Ebony. Or should I address you as Mato? Or maybe, Rukia?"

"Ebony, please."

We shook hands, then she immediately retracted her hand. I was impressed by how calm she was in the face of her most powerful enemy, I had expected her to be trying to kill me the instant I walked in the room. Instead, she just sat there on the edge of my bed, glaring.

"Before we get down to business, I want to know: what was Tira trying to do to you before I walked in?"

"She said something about sensing her master inside of me, then she tried to rip my top off."

"Why the hell would she do that? I will have to make her suffer for this, you were not to be harmed in any way while you stay here. At least, not by anyone besides me of course."

Ebony's glare intensified slightly. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

"No, I already know everything else there is to know about you."

"Fine. Then tell me, why have you brought me here?What do you want from me?"

"This is my bedroom, the only place in the fortress where I can be alone from my servants. Nobody enters unless I tell them, and all my minions have been ordered to leave us be. We are completely alone, so why do you think I brought you here?"

Ebony realized her predicament and froze.

"Bingo."

I smiled maliciously and shoved her so that she lay on her back. I held her hands above her head with my tail, while tip toeing my fingers up the middle of her stomach. She struggled to free herself from my grasp, but I wasn't about to let her get away. I used my hands to slowly unbutton her shorts and pull them off. The smooth skin of her legs brushed against my hands, and I could no longer contain my lust. I positioned my head right above hers.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Ebony." I whispered. "Finally, I can have that which will bring me the happiness I desire." I pursed my lips and slowly edged them toward hers.

"No! Stop! Get off of me!" she protested.

I ignored her and continued to close the distance. Just before I made contact, she broke free from my grasp and sent a punch at the center of my chest. I heard a ripping of fabric as her fist travelled through the front of my shirt and out of the back. I frowned and stopped trying to kiss her. She stared in shock when no blood flowed from the wound she had inflicted.

"W-wha?" she muttered in disbelief.

I sighed in annoyance and released my grip on her. "Dammit, you just had to ruin the mood, didn't you?"

I pulled her hand out of my chest. I began to feel a breeze flowing through the hole in my chest as I stood up.

"I'm sure you've been wondering how I am able to keep Ichigo and the other hollows in line. Normally it would be because they were brought back as a result of my power, but for hollows..." I tore my ruined top off my body, not caring that I had exposed myself to my prisoner. However, showing this part of myself to anyone always brought back the memories of how I got it in the first place, and with the memories came sorrow.

Ebony was still struck by the sudden revelation, staring fearfully at the hole in the center of my chest. "You're...one of them..."

I smirked to hide my depression. "That's right. I'm a hollow, just like them. Consider yourself lucky, I have only shown this side of myself to one other person."

Ebony's surprise turned to sympathy. "So the reason you just tried to rape me, that was some form of you trying to fill your emptiness? It was a desire brought on by your being a hollow?"

"No." I growled. "I tried to take you because I want you, just as Takanashi wants you."

Ebony's eyes narrowed in anger. "So all of this...all the lives you've destroyed, all the people you've hurt, all the worlds you've conquered, even going so far as to turn my closest friend against me, all of this was just so you could sleep with me?! All this madness, just to satisfy your lust? And if you wanted me so badly, then why couldn't you have just told me how you felt in the first place-"

**"BECAUSE YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO LOOK AT ME!"**

Both of us fell silent. I had surprised myself at my sudden outburst. Ebony stared at me in shock. I growled in frustration and turned away from her to hide the tears that had formed in my eyes. I refused to show weakness in front of her.

"Yuu..." I heard Ebony whisper. "What happened to you, Yuu? All my memories of you show you smiling and having fun with Mato and the others. What changed all of that? What made you do this?"

I stiffened at her questions. I couldn't explain to her in words how it happened. As much as I didn't want to relive those moments, I knew there was only one way to make her understand. I turned around to face her again.

"You want to know why I became like this? Why I've done so many horrible things, to you and to the others? Why you are the only one who can free me from my misery?"

Ebony nervously nodded her head. "I do."

I let my rising anger show in my eyes and took hold of her again. "Then I will show you. And when I'm done, you'll understand why it is all _your fault._"

Before she could say anything in response, I put my forehead to hers, and cast us both into the depths of my mind.

* * *

Ebony and I reappeared on a hillside from which the entire city could be observed. The sun was shining, and the world looked how it used to before I had sent the Locust to conquer it. Ebony looked around in confusion.

"I...know this place...but why are we here? And why does everything look normal?" she asked.

"What you're looking at is my memories. I have brought us inside my mind so that I can fully explain to you my motives. As to why we're here at this particular spot, just wait a moment." I answered.

Within moments, a still human version of myself and of Mato came bounding up the steps to the hill, smiling and laughing as they did so.

"Is that...what Mato and you used to look like?"

"Yes."

Our past selves took no notice of us and walked to the railing at the edge of the hill and looked out at the city. The me of the past opened her mouth in awe as her eyes went wide.

"Wow! It really is a great view!" my past self said.

Past Mato nodded her head happily. "See, I told you!"

"I can see everything from here! Thanks Mato, thanks for bringing me here."

"No problem. I'm glad you're happy, Yuu."

Our past selves were silent for a time, simply admiring the view. Then my past self began to droop her head a little. Mato noticed this and grew concerned.

"Yuu, is something wrong?"

"It's just...I don't know if I'll be able to get along with the others. Saya is fine, and so are you, but I don't know Yomi or Kagari. I'm worried that they might not like me, considering all that I've done."

Past Mato paused for a moment, then a smile spread on her face. Without warning, she walked over and wrapped her arms around my past self, causing her to gasp in response.

"M-Mato?"

"It's okay. Even if they don't like you, I will still be your friend. You'll always have me, Yuu."

My past self went silent for a moment, then slowly returned the hug. "Thank you, Mato."

"It was at that moment, that I fell in love with you. The feeling was alien to me at first, and I spent day after day trying to figure it out. You were so kind to me, even though I had tried to kill you. Maybe it was your innocence that brought forth my affection, a desire to feel a happiness that I had never known." I explained to Ebony. "I wanted to be like you, so innocent and pure. Because of you, I wanted to cast off the shadows of my past and start my life anew. So for the next year, I spent more and more time with you and the others."

The world began to shift, and displayed various scenes where Mato and I laughed and spent time with Yomi and Kagari. The shifting halted when we came to a scene where the four of us were dressed in colorful kimonos for a festival.

"However," I continued. "I soon found that I was not the only one who longed for you."

Past Mato and past Kagari went to get some refreshments, leaving me and Yomi sitting down at a nearby bench. My past self smiled dreamily as she watched Mato's short little head bob up and down as she walked. A soft sigh to her side made her turn to Yomi, who stared in the same direction with a considerable amount of lust in her eyes. My past self realized what the stare meant, and her smile immediately faded.

"Yomi?" my past self said.

"Hm?" replied past Yomi.

"Do you...like Mato?"

The question made Yomi jump in surprise, and she tried to deny it, but after getting a look from my past self that said she wasn't buying any of it, Yomi sighed and regained her composure.

"I...yes, I think I do." she said at last.

I shared the heart sinking feeling my past self felt then, even though she hid it behind a smile. "I see..."

"Mato has been so kind to me, I wouldn't be here having fun with all of you without her."

"Yeah, you're probably right...Mato sure is great, isn't she?"

My past self dropped her gaze to her feet, trying desperately not to lash out in anger. I could remember the thoughts that went through my head at that time. _So, it looks like the rumors are true. Takanshi really is smitten with Mato. Well too bad, four-eyes. Even if it was through Strength's eyes, I saw her first. She'll be mine and mine alone, just wait and see. _Mato and Kagari then returned with drinks, preventing the conversation from going any further.

"From then on, Takanashi was my rival. I resolved to win your heart, and to do so using traditional methods. After all, I didn't want to go back to my old self after finally making friends." I explained.

The world shifted again, showing different attempts to win over Mato from both me and Yomi.

"I have no doubt that Takanashi had become aware that I had feelings for you, even if she never showed it. For the next few months, I waged a silent war with her to gain your favor. And as you can see..." I pointed to the scenes around us. Yomi had been making much more progress than I had in most of the attempts. "I was losing. You started to take notice of me less and less, and I sometimes saw you returning the lustful gazes Yomi sent your way. It was as if I no longer mattered. But despite my fears, I decided to make one last attempt, something that Yomi had yet to do..."

"You were going to confess." Ebony finished for me.

I nodded, not looking back at her. "Valentine's Day was coming, and I had decided it was the perfect time to make my feelings known. I spent the days leading up to it pouring my heart and soul into a letter of confession. It was the hardest I had ever worked to do something for someone besides myself."

The world stopped shifting, and we were in the room I had at Saya's house. My past self lay on her bed, admiring a blue heart shaped box with a star on it.

"With this, I will definitely get her to notice me. She's going to love it so much!" she said to herself.

"Yuu, come on! It's time for you to go to school!" Saya called from downstairs.

"Coming!"

My past self quickly took a tag and wrote 'To: Mato' on it. Hugging the valentine close to her chest, my past self happily grabbed her bag and ran out of her room.

"I don't remember you giving me anything like that. I just recall you acting really strange all day." Ebony said. "Why don't I remember you confessing to me?"

"See for yourself." I said.

The world shifted to later that day, where my past self was walking down the hall with the valentine in hand.

"I had arranged for you to meet me in the art room during break, so that I could confess in private." I explained. "It was all going so well..."

My past self bumped into Kagari, who was coming out of the culinary room with a tray of cookies.

"Oh, excuse me Yuu." Kagari apologized.

"It's alright, my bad Kagari." my past self replied.

"Is that a valentine? Oh! Are you finally going to confess?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way there right now."

"Well, don't let Kagari keep you. Go for it, Yuu! Come see me when you're done and we'll have cookies!"

"Alright, I'll look forward to it."

Past Kagari nodded and walked away, and my past self continued toward the art room. She stopped just outside the door and took a deep breath. Smiling, my past reached toward the door.

"Mm...ahn..." a faint voice moaned.

My past self froze. I heard Ebony stiffen behind me, for she had also recognized the voice. Shaking, my past self slowly reached forward and silently pulled the door open a crack.

"Mato?" she whispered.

My past self looked into the room, and froze.

"I tried so hard, so very hard. But in the end..." I said.

Inside the art room, past Mato and past Yomi were wrapped in each others arms, with their lips pressed passionately together.

"...I lost."

With tears forming in her eyes, my past self slowly backed away from the door. "No...no...this can't be happening...please no..."

Still unaware of my past self's presence, Mato and Yomi's lips finally parted. They stared longingly into each others eyes.

"I love you, Mato." Yomi said softly.

"I love you, Yomi." Mato responded happily.

I could practically hear my past self's heart breaking at those words. Mato and Yomi closed their eyes as they went into another deep kiss. Tears now streaming from her eyes, my past self ran away as fast as she could from the room, not even stopping when Kagari called out to her in concern. While the me of the past continued to run, I looked back at Ebony. The sapphire eyed girl had her hands over her mouth as she looked at me in absolute horror and regret.

"Oh god..." she whispered. She looked on the verge of tears.

"Don't start crying yet, there's still more." I said, looking away again.

My past self was now outside, running aimlessly through the crowded streets of the city. She tried to wipe away her tears as she ran, and thus was unable to see where she was going.

"You remember, don't you? The only way for someone to end up becoming a hollow..."

My past self finally finished clearing her eyes, and noticed she was running into the middle of the street. A loud horn blared as a truck tried to swerve away from her.

"is for them to die."

_SCREEEEEEEEEECH! CRASH! THUD!_

My past self lay dying on the street, a steady stream of blood flowing from her numerous wounds. She glanced with a half open eye at the valentine she had slaved over, which now lay crushed under a piece of shrapnel.

"Mato...how could you..." she gasped, then was still.

"I died alone and forgotten, by you and everyone else." I said.

The world shifted around her broken body, which became free of all its injuries as it was transported to the endless deserts of Hueco Mundo. Slowly, my past self sat up. Her eyes were full of an all too familiar pain.

"You lied to me..." my past self whispered. "You said I'd always have you, no matter what. You must have known how I felt about you. Yes, somehow you must have always known. And still you wouldn't look at me...not when I tried out for the basketball team with you, not when I took the liberty of learning to cook from Kagari in order to make you those cupcakes, and..." she gulped. "not even when I was standing there, watching you kiss that damn four-eyes right in front of me. You never cared how I felt. Not one little bit."

My past self began to tremble, and a great pain spread throughout her body. She cried out in agony as a hole began to tear its way into her chest. White liquid began to violently explode from her mouth. The liquid began to cover her face, and a skull shaped mask began to form.

"Mato! Why wouldn't you look at me? Why couldn't you see?"

The mask spread over the rest of her face.

"Why couldn't you see that I loved you?!"

With a terrible cry of anguish, an explosion of energy engulfed my past self. When the energy faded, she was a completely white hollow with massive plated arms, horse legs, and a jagged skeletal tail. He hollow hole was situated on her stomach, and two rows of spikes ran down her hunched over back.

**"Ma...to..."** the hollowfied me growled.

_**"A shame, isn't it?"**_ a new voice suddenly cut in. _**"All that preparation, and to no avail."**_

My past self turned toward the newcomer. Standing on a dune, with a fiery blue aura around it, was a silver wolf with yellow eyes. The wolf's snout was curled into a sick resemblance of a smile as it trudged down to my past self.

**"Who...are...you..."** she growled.

_**"I have many names, child. The most common of which is 'Satan'."**_

**"You're...Satan...?...a little...wolf...?"**

_**"Well, this is how I choose to appear on my oh so rare visits to Assiah, or the world of the living if that's what you prefer."**_

**"What...do you...want..."**

Satan's grin widened. _**"To help you."**_

**"Help...me...?...Why?"**

_**"You and me, we have a lot in common. Both of us have suffered far more than anyone could understand, both of us hate the world for never giving us a chance, and scorning us when it does. And most of all, both of us have lost someone we care about. The difference is that the one you love is still alive. You on the other hand, are not so lucky."**_

**"That's right...I died...then I...became this..."**

_**"You've become something called a hollow, an evil spirit whose suffering has left them empty and longing for a way to fill that emptiness. You could spend the rest of your afterlife wondering the worlds looking for souls to eat, or..."**_

**"Or...?"**

_**"You could become my host, and I could restore your old body and send you back to the world of the living so that you can take back your love. But in return, you must promise that as soon as you are satisfied with your goal, you will surrender your body to me so that I may carry out mine, the merging of Hell with the other planes of existence. Well Yuu, what do ya say?"**_

My past self took little time to think it over. She quickly nodded. **"Fuck the universe. Deal."**

Satan smiled._ **"That's the spirit! Now hold still, this will only take a moment."**_

The wolf jumped onto my past self and phased inside of her body. Blue flames rose in an aura around my past self as the hollowfication began to fade, leaving only a hole and my mask behind. My ears grew long and pointed, and a fur tipped tail sprouted from my waist. Now in my current condition, my past self stood proudly as the aura around her raged and grew to enormous heights.

"Mato Kuroi, with this power, I will make you mine." she declared. Then, she began to laugh insanely, as only a demon can.

"Alright, you've seen enough." I said.

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against Ebony's again, and we departed from the miserable world of my memories.

* * *

I opened my eyes and found Ebony staring straight at me, regret and horror still fresh on her face. She opened her mouth to say something.

"Don't." I said before she could speak. "Don't you dare try to apologize to me. You lost that chance a long time ago. I don't expect you to fall in love with me now, of course. After everything that's happened, its obviously impossible."

She shut her mouth. Pausing for a moment, she opened it again. "There is something you need to know. I know you don't want to remember it, but there was more to what happened after you saw me and Yomi kissing."

"Oh I'm sure there was, little miss slut. I bet you two did some terrifically dirty stuff while I was busy dying."

"Yuu please, listen to me-"

"No, you lis**ten to me! I have had enough of your lies! You think your life is hell? Hah! You haven't even seen half of mine!"**

Enraged, I pinned her against the bed again. **"Listen well, Ebony. I'm about to tell you what i**t is that I really want from you."

Ebony trembled as I leaned toward her and put my mouth to where I could whisper in her ear. "I want you...to have my child."

Ebony stared up at me in confusion. "What? That's impossible! There's no way two women can conceive a child!"

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong. You see, I've already done it once before, and was rewarded with a beautiful little girl, my daughter Evelyn."

Fear shone in Ebony's eyes. "How? It's impossible!"

I reached inside my mouth and felt around for a moment before finding what I was looking for. I pulled out my hand and held it open for Ebony to see. In my hand was a small orb of swirling dark energy covered in blue flame.

"W-what the hell is that?!" Ebony stammered from beneath me.

"This is my essence, or my seed if you will."

"Seed? As in-"

"Exactly. I cannot impregnate other women in the conventional way, so I use this instead. It's actually quite a simple process. First, the person I want to bear the child swallows the seed. Then, she will enter a state of heightened fertility. When she is like this, the next woman to kiss her on the lips will be the 'father', and will fertilize the seed. After about two months, the seed will have fully grown into a healthy baby. If I do this with you, then I will remake myself from your flesh and finally be able to experience joy. After all, no one is a happier person than Mato. Now, say 'ah'."

Keeping her pinned to the bed, I reached forward and put my hand on her chin.

"Please! Don't do this! Yuu, please stop!" she cried.

"It's far too late for me to stop now."

Forcefully, I pried her mouth open, and dropped my seed inside. I waited until I heard her swallow before letting go of her. She coughed and clutched at her stomach.

A smile of satisfaction crossed my lips. "Excellent, it's taken root inside your womb. Now there's only one thing left to do..."

I climbed on top of Ebony again. She tried to protest, but eventually succumbed. Tears ran from her eyes as my face edged closer to hers. With whatever strength she had left, she shot me a defiant glare.

"I hope you realize, no matter what you do to me, I'll never be yours." she muttered weakly.

I paused for a moment, then smiled and crawled off of her to go over to my wardrobe. "I almost forgot, thanks for reminding me."

Ebony stared at me in confusion. I reached inside my wardrobe and pulled out a small box. Walking back to Ebony, I sat on the edge of the bed next to her and opened it. Ebony froze at the sight of its contents.

"It wouldn't be worth kissing you just out of lust." I said as I pulled out the ring and put it on her trembling finger.

**"Wouldn't you agree, my bride?"**

* * *

**A/N: **Holy crap. Longest. Chapter. EVER. Lol so there you have it, the master plan has been revealed. Don't forget to review! DarkNovelist out.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: A Night of Blood and Tears (pt. 1)**

* * *

**Two Days later…**

* * *

_**General P.O.V.**_

* * *

Ebony took a solemn look at the mirror in Inoue's room. In her reflection, she wore an elaborate black wedding dress, complete with a frilled collar and flowers on her wrists, as well as a black veil over her face and a bow on her waist. Despite the circumstances and unusual choice of color for such a sacred occasion, she had to admit: it was a beautiful dress. Her eyes drifted to the ring on her finger. _If only it were someone else…if only I hadn't put her through so much pain…but if I don't do it, then Yomi will be hunted down and killed..._ she thought. Looking for a distraction, she watched Inoue finishing tying up the back behind her. The orange haired girl was smiling, but it was a sad smile.

"Inoue." Ebony said, still gazing at her reflection.

"Hm?" the taller girl responded.

"Before I go through with this, I want to ask you something."

"What?"

Ebony paused for a moment. "Were you happy here, with that arrancar?"

Inoue froze for a second in alarm, then regained her sad smile. "Yes, I suppose you could say I was."

"I see. I'm glad that you found someone to make you happy."

Inoue tied the last of the straps, and stepped back. Ebony slowly turned around to face her.

"H-how do I look?" she whispered.

Inoue looked over the smaller girl, admiring her handiwork and how it fitted her perfectly.

"You look beautiful. I almost wish I was the one marrying you."

Were it not for recent events, the humor would have been much stronger. Still, Ebony let out a short chuckle.

"Thanks."

"Well, it's almost time. Let's go."

Ebony nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, better not keep her waiting."

The pair quietly exited the small room. Yuno and Tira met them in the hallway. The odd pair had been assigned as escorts for the black bride, and walked on either side of her. They began to make their way through the deserted halls of the fortress toward the chapel. However, just when they were a little ways from their destination, Tira suddenly lead the group in a different direction.

"Tira-san, this is the wrong way." Yuno pointed out.

The ring blade wielder turned toward her and smiled maliciously. "I know."

The next thing Yuno knew, blood was splattered all across her clothing, and a long gash had been cut in her stomach. Tira watched the pinkette stare at her with hurt and betrayal as she collapsed to the floor and burst into blue flame. Inoue and Ebony were too shocked by the sudden display of violence to speak. Inoue was about to scream, but the sound died in her throat when she felt the blood stained steel of Tira's blade at her throat.

"Ah, ah, ah. Can't have you screaming for help now, can we?" the insane girl said in a sweet voice.

Inoue lightly nodded in compliance.

"Good girl."

Tira then smacked Inoue with the flat of her blade, rendering her unconscious. Satisfied that the orange hair was out cold, she then turned to Ebony, who watched her with a mixture of fear and suspicion.

"I don't understand, aren't you working for Fury?" the bride asked.

"That stuck-up little bitch? Hell no. I joined up with her voluntarily so I could get closer to my _real_ master, Soul Edge. And since the only remaining remnants of it are resting inside you, that makes _you_ my master."

"Wait, you mean you're helping me?"

"Of course! Now then…" Tira made a bow. "shall we be on our way, master?"

Although the girl's obvious lack of sanity made her hesitate, Ebony accepted the offer nonetheless. She would take any chance she could get to get away from Fury, and to get back to Yomi. The bride followed her insane servant as they stalked through the halls and towards the gate, taking care to avoid the gaze of the guards. Soon enough, they arrived on the wall over the front gate.

"Alright master, just a little farther now and you'll be free!" Tira chirped.

_SCHINK!_

"Huh?" Tira said as she looked down. The tips of four daggers were sticking out of her chest. "Well, this sucks."

Tira laughed sarcastically before leaning back and collapsing, revealing a smiling Sanmex standing behind her.

"There you are, miss runaway bride." the purple haired boy said. He held out his hand to the still surprised Ebony. "Come along now, the mistress is waiting."

* * *

Yuu tapped her foot impatiently until she saw Sanmex reenter the chapel and announce that everything was fixed, and went to stand beside her. Without further ado, the few minions Yuu considered 'guests' sat down, and a small hollow began to play the appropriate music. Ebony slowly walked through the large double doors and down the narrow aisle, escorted by a purple haired female Assassin. She glanced over at Ichigo, who stood watching her with hungry eyes from the corner of the room. White Steel Wrath stood behind a podium in front of Yuu, having been declared the pastor. Sighing, Ebony reached the end of her walk and stood across from Yuu. The shorter girl had chosen to wear a white suit and tie, as to be expected of her tomboyish personality.

"You look absolutely amazing, Ebony." she said, then nodded for Wrath to proceed.

The general returned the gesture and, smiling, threw his arms up in the air as he began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of these two sinners in unholy matramony..."

Ebony tuned out his words and stared stoically back at a smiling Yuu. The shorter girl spoke her vows, and Ebony felt guilt rising with every word she spoke when it came time for her to do the same. Finally, the end of the ceremony was at hand.

"Do you, Yuu Koutari, take Ebony to be your unlawfully wedded wife?" Wrath asked.

"I do." Yuu answered without hesitation.

"And do you, Ebony Kuchiki Kuroi, take Yuu to be your unlawfully wedded...uh...aw fuck it, let's just go with husband. Makes it easier."

Ebony hesitated. If she refused, then Yuu would seek out Yomi and destroy her, then probably force Ebony to marry anyway. However, that knowledge didn't make saying yes any easier. In the end, submission won out as the least dangerous path to take.

Ebony took a deep breath. "I d-"

_BOOM!_

The sudden explosion made everyone in the room turn in surprise toward what remained of the entrance to the chapel. The sounds of gunfire, slashing blades, shouts of pain, and freshly spilt blood rang out through the immense dust cloud that had formed. As the cloud cleared, the bodies of several slain hollows littered the floor, and five silhouetted figures stood standing over them.

"I object to this union!" the center figure cried out.

Yuu grit her teeth in anger. She recognized the voice, and judging by the relieved smile that had suddenly spread across Ebony's lips, so did she.

"Yomi!" Ebony cried.

The vampiress smiled as she stepped into the light of the room. "I'm glad you're alright. I've come to rescue you, Ebony."

"Hey now, don't forget about the rest of us!" the figure to her left called as she and the tall woman beside her stepped into the room.

"Strength! Saya!"

"So, you're skull-girl's little pet. I gotta say, you don't look half bad for a small fry." said Alucard as he entered.

"Uh, thanks? Whoever you are..."

"She's just as pretty as she is strong, no-life king. As expected of my apprentice." said the last figure before entering.

"Kurai, you're here too?"

"Damn straight! I wouldn't miss a showdown like this in a million years!"

"Everyone..."

The happy reunion was cut short by Yuu suddenly grabbing Ebony from behind and holding her close. **"How did you find this place?"****  
**

"Through you. That little trip you took down memory lane left your mind open for me to explore. At least now I understand why you became like this." explained Strength.

Yuu growled at her counterpart. **"So, even you turn against me, Strength..."**

Yomi gave the short girl a look of pity. "Yuu...there is something very important you need to know. There is more to our past that must be explained-"

**"SHUT UP!" **

Before anyone could react, Yuu put her finger to Ebony's forehead, and the bride in black went limp, collapsing in her arms.

"Ebony! What did you do to her?" Yomi growled.

Yuu smiled maliciously. **"Nothing much, just put her to sleep. But don't worry, the counter charm is quite simple. She just has to be kissed on these lovely lips of hers, and she'll awaken." **Yuu gave the unconscious girl's neck a sadistic lick, much to Yomi's displeasure. **"Mmm, tasty. I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself for very long."**

"Don't you dare!"

**"Tell you what, four-eyes. I'll make you a deal..."**

The entire room shook as an enormous pillar began to rise from beneath Yuu, lifting her and the unconscious Ebony towards the black sky.

**"You have ten minutes to get pass my guards and climb this tower. If you don't make it to me by then, she's mine. Good luck! Hahahahahahaahahahaha!"**

Yomi watched the pair ascend high into the sky, her face contorted in a snarl. She looked down at the base of the large pillar. Stairs were jutting out of its side, spiraling up the tower as it grew. The climb wasn't going to be hard, but the adversaries that stood between her and the tower most likely were. She was just about to charge into the enemy ranks, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Alucard smiling devilishly past her.

"Don't worry about them, skull-girl. We'll handle the small fry, you go ahead." the ancient vampire said as he loaded a fresh magazine into his handguns.

"Your master's right, Takanashi." Kurai cut in, stepping beside her with a hand on the hilt of his sword. "We will pave the way, so be sure to get your girl back. The fate of the multiverse depends on it."

Yomi hesitated for a moment.

"It's alright, Yomi." said Strength, readying her gauntlets. "We'll be fine, so let's get Ebony back."

"Do us proud, Takanashi." Saya said.

Yomi paused for a moment, then nodded. "I will. Thank you, everyone."

Kurai then shoved Acreios into her hand. "Be sure that she gets this. I don't think I have to explain how essential it is to her victory."

"Yeah, the wound in my wing is still burning from it."

"Alright. Now then..."

The five warriors burst from where they stood towards the enemy.

"Let's go!"

Yuu's minions roared and charged to meet the heroes. The five tore through the ranks of hollows, with bullets, swords, and fists. In the midst of the battle, nobody noticed Sanmex slip away into the outer halls of the fortress. The young boy smiled mischievously as he entered the courtyard. Now that he had what he came for, there was no longer any reason to stay around. Just as he was nearing the front gate, an arrow sailed past his head, clipping his ear and sticking into the ground in front of him. Sighing in annoyance he turned around to see Neeba standing a short distance away, with another arrow already notched and three more in his hand.

"Going somewhere?" said the archer.

Sanmex smiled. "Why yes, I was just on my way back to Trotejy."

"I knew it. I knew we shouldn't have trusted you."

"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself, Neeba. It's not like I plan on helping those idiots fight your mistress."

"Then what was the point? Why get close to Fury?"

"To get info."

"In that case, I can't let you leave here alive."

Neeba then fired loosed his arrow, followed shortly by the rapid notching and firing of the other three in his hand. To his surprise, every shot he fired struck air. The next thing he knew, the sharp blade of a dagger was held against his throat.

"You missed me, Neeba." Sanmex whispered.

With one move, the young boy slit the archer's throat and disappeared back to his master.

* * *

Alucard blew away the hollows that came at him with ease, smiling with violent delight as he did so.

"Hahahahahahaha! Is that all you've got? Please! Dogs like you are nothing for a no-life king!" he declared.

The vampire didn't bother to waste his bullets on the next swarm that attacked. Instead, he clawed and bit his way through them, savoring the taste of their fallen blood. He licked the residual blood from his left hand while firing away at another wave with his right.

"How crude." an ancient voice mocked.

Surprised, Alucard turned around to see an orb of dark energy flying his way. The vampire ducked under the orb as it sailed past his head and exploded on a nearby hollow. Looking back in the direction of the shot, Alucard saw a tall man wearing ancient armor, with white hair that was tied into spike tipped braids, and a scar over his left eye. The man's feet did not touch the ground, for a small vortex of energy levitated him. Red energy swarmed around his right hand, and light blue energy swarmed around his left.

"Who the hell are you?" Alucard asked, rising to his feet.

"I am called Algol, monster."

"Am I too assume that you serve the little brat?"

"Regrettably so, yes."

"Figures."

"Enough talk. Your methods of combat are barbaric and lack skill, so I will show you the way true kings fight!"

(Battle theme: Soul Calibur 4 OST: Thanatos)

With that, Algol charged toward Alucard and swung his right hand, which transformed into a red sword as it neared the vampire. Alucard ducked under the attack and leapt back. Drawing his pistols, the vampire fired a quick barrage of holy bullets at Algol. The hero king threw his left hand in front of him, converting it into a shield of shimmering crystals and blocking the projectiles. Then he countered by converting his right arm into a gun barrel and fired a large ball of dark energy at the vampire. Alucard was unable to dodge the shot and took the full force of its explosion. Blood dripping from fresh wounds, Alucard discarded his handguns in favor of using his hands. Algol greeted the attack with a smile before converting his hands into a red sword and a crystal sword and swinging both at the vampire. Alucard jumped over the attack with ease and sailed over the hero king's head. However, a series of sharply curved blades suddenly sprouted from Algol's back, cutting the vampire and flinging him into the air. On his descent, Alucard watched as a giant set of mandibles protruded from Algol's stomach to catch him before the hero king spun around and flung him at a nearby wall. Recovering from the brutal attacks, Alucard stuck his feet out and landed in a crouch position on the wall. Algol let a smirk of respect cross his face.

"Impressive, for an animal." the hero king said.

"You're not too bad yourself, old man." Alucard snickered in response.

The vampire then bolted from the wall with his hand outstretched, too fast for Algol to react. Alucard stuck his closed fingers into the hero king's stomach earning a grunt of pain. Algol lifted his leg to kick the vampire, but Alucard side stepped out of the way and delivered a roundhouse kick to the hero king's head. Algol realled back in pain, clutching at his throbbing temple. Alucard took a stance in preparation for another attack, when the hero king suddenly raised his fist high into the air.

"Sleep for eternity!" cried Algol.

A large throne materialized from nowhere, and came crashing down on Alucard's shoulders. Before the vampire could try to remove the heavy throne, Algol teleported to just above the seat and descended.

"The mighty Algol..."

He sat on the throne and crossed his legs, bringing it all the way down onto Alucard's back and forcing him into the ground.

"...has no equal!"

The throne disappeared and Algol stood up again. He reached down and picked up the broken vampire by his hair. Alucard made no attempt to move. Sighing, Algol converted his free hand into the red sword and prepared to stab. Just then, Alucard reached up and grabbed the hero king's arm, just before sinking his teeth into it. Algol screamed in pain and his hand reverted to normal. Shaking himself free from the hero king's grasp, Alucard then smiled insanely as his right side became covered in eyes and darkness.

"You're not the only one with a neat trick up their sleeve!" the vampire cackled.

Algol could only watch as Alucard's right arm split into a dozen mouths filled with razor sharp teeth, and then bite onto every one of his limbs. The heads began to pull, and the hero king cringed under the immense pain as his stamina failed him. With a final pull, Algol's body was ripped apart, scattering blood and gore everywhere around Alucard. The vampire smiled with sadistic pleasure as the mouths that comprised his right arm stuck out their tongues and began licking the blood from the floor.

"That was fun, we should do it again some time, hero king."

* * *

On the ramparts overlooking what little remained of the chapel, two warriors stood facing each other. One was clad in white armor, and wielded a black claymore and a golden longsword. His white hair reflected the madness shining in his grey eyes. The other wore only a leather jacket and pants, and kept a firm grip on the zweihander slung across his waist. His dark hair contrasted with the determination of his blue eyes. They had decided to move their battle here, so as not to be disturbed by other warriors.

"It's been a while, White Steel Wrath." said the dark haired man.

"Indeed it has, Kurai Shosetsuka." said the man in white.

Kurai smirked. "Who'd have thought, that my greatest opponent, would be my own self?"

Wrath returned the smirk. "My thoughts exactly."

Kurai's smile faded. "You disappoint me, Wrath."

"How so?"

"I thought that if you were really me, you would cast aside those trophy's and fight with your own strength. After all, what good is a man who can't do anything on his own?"

Now it was Wrath's turn to glare. "If you came all this way just to lecture me, then I have no time for you."

"You're right. Let's not waste any more time."

Both men took a stance. Wrath stared at Kurai with a hint of confusion. The dark haired man had released his grip on his sword, and held both his fists up.

"Are you not going to draw your sword?"

"I will if I have to."

Wrath narrowed his eyes. "So be it, then."

(Battle theme: Asura vs. Augus theme. Real song name is too long. :P)

The warriors burst towards each other, as if propelled by lightning. Kurai sent a series of rapid punches at his counterpart, catching him by surprise and knocking him back a good 10 feet. Wrath quickly regained his footing and charged at Kurai. The dark haired warrior side stepped out of the path of the twin swords and crouched down before delivering a spiraling uppercut. Wrath leaned back to avoid the punch and thrust his swords forward. Kurai caught one blade, but the other scraped his side. Unhindered, Kurai used the weight of the claymore in his hand to throw his counterpart over his head, following it up with a backwards cartwheel that struck Wrath right in the face. The white haired man caught himself and skidded to a halt a few feet away. He growled as he wiped some blood off his bruised lip.

"What's wrong? Is that all you've got?" Kurai taunted.

"You wish! Miroku!" Wrath shouted.

A glowing pair of red eyes appeared on the claymore, and Wrath drove the weapon into the ground. Dozens of large black blades began to burst out of the ground in a wave towards Kurai. The dark haired warrior jumped and dodged out of the path of the blades, weaving his way toward his counterpart. Just as he jumped over another blade, Kurai widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Wrath with his longsword glowing a fiery gold.

"Ex-calibur!" yelled Wrath.

A torrent of golden flame erupted from the sword, striking Kurai dead on. The dark haired warrior fell back to the ground, jacket ablaze. He rolled to his feet just as he felt his skin touch crystal (in case you forgot, Fury's fortress is made of white crystals), and threw his jacket from his shoulders. Wrath noticed a deep hatred start to burn in Kurai's eyes at the loss of the garment.

"That jacket was a gift from my father!." Kurai growled.

"Whatever asshole." Wrath replied.

"You just called yourself an asshole!"

"I'm you! The only reason I'm an asshole is because you're an asshole! Asshole!"

"Grrrrrrr!"

"Rrrrrrrrr!"

The warriors charged at each other again, slashing and punching angrily. Kurai quietly cursed himself for getting carried away and remembered his technique. Focusing his rage into his fists while remaining silent, he was able to quickly build up speed and strength. Soon enough. Kurai was overwhelming his counterpart with little effort. Seeing an opening, Kurai sent a powerful punch that struck Wrath square in the stomach. The other self held back a wave of vomit as he charged up Excalibur for another attack. This time Kurai saw it coming, and thrust his right foot at Wrath's hand. To his surprise, Wrath tossed the weapon into the air, and brought Miroku down into the ground.

"Miroku!"

Too late to dodge, Kurai cringed as a black blade drove into his shoulder, rooting him to the spot. Wrath caught Excalibur as it came down and swung it at his trapped counterpart.

"Excalibur!"

Once again, Kurai took the full force of the holy sword's golden flames. Wrath smirked in satisfaction when he saw his counterpart fall to his knees, severly injured and gasping for breath.

"What's wrong, old boy? Already run out of steam?" Wrath taunted.

Kurai gave no reply.

"You know, the way you are now, you remind me a lot of your daughter."

This caused Kurai to snap to attention. "Wha..."

"Didn't you know? She was searching for you during the battle of Windbloom. She confronted me and did a number on my face, but I soon drove the brat to her knees. She begged me to tell her where you were. You should have seen it, it was really pathetic, especially for someone of your lineage. 'Please, I can't find my daddy!' 'Tell me where he is! I can't bear to be without him!' Pah! Such impudence. And worse yet, I'm pretty sure she was crying when I had her at sword point. Yeah, there was definitely tears in her eyes. What do you think of that, K-"

_WHACK!_

Wrath was interrupted by the hilt of Misery coming down on his head. He looked up from where he lay crouched on the ground, and froze when he saw his counterpart. Kurai had his sword drawn, his injuries had healed, and his eyes had become pure white with rage.

"You talk too much!" bellowed the dark haired warrior.

Wrath raised Excalibur to block a vertical strike that came at his head, only to have the holy sword shatter to pieces upon impact. Shocked beyond belief, Wrath could only watch as Kurai did the same with Miroku before slicing into his chest. Cringing, Wrath leapt back and drew his gear shaped battleaxe, the only weapon left in his arsenal. _I don't understand...petty insults like that shouldn't be enough to rile him up this much!_ Wrath thought. He dodged a strike from Misery, and watched the ground cave in slightly under the massive sword. _Wait...I must have said something specific, something that would piss him off more than anything. But what? What did I-_ Then the answer, along with the large blade of Kurai's zweihander, hit him. Asura. Kurai's first and most feared ancestor. The source of that man's wrath, the thing that drove him to crawl his way back to life time and again, had all been for one thing: his duty as a father. He would not forgive anyone who made his daughter cry. It was for that reason that he had destroyed so many powerful foes, and even Chakravartin, the creator himself, that he had earned the title 'Asura, The Destructor'. Wrath fell to the ground, blood gushing from his badly injured chest and the broken fragments of his axe scattering around him. The other self stared up at his counterpart, whose eyes had now returned to normal. Kurai had won. However, Wrath was not at all upset by his loss.

"You know...that as long...as you live...I will keep returning...right?" Wrath wheezed.

"I do." Kurai said solemnly.

The dark haired man stuck his sword in the ground beside him, then held out his open palm.

"I know all too well that the slightest pain in my heart will revive you. I have known this for a long time now."

Kurai put his hand over his heart, then dug his fingers into his chest. Wrath's eyes widened in alarm.

"No way...you don't have the guts!" he declared.

"We'll...nh!...see about that!" Kurai grunted.

Kurai pressed harder into his chest and grunted loudly when he felt his hand sink all the way inside. He continued to delve deeper inside himself, inch by excrutiating inch. Finally, his fingers took hold over the vital organ, and he began to pull.

"Kurai Shosetsuka, don't you dare!"

"Shut up! If I'm going to hell...then I'm taking you with me!"

With a final cry of pain, Kurai tore his heart from his chest. Panting from the sudden loss of bloodflow and oxygen, the dark haired warrior collapsed to his knees. He looked down at the battle taking place in the chapel ruins below. Strength and Saya were battling with a red knight and a woman in blue, while Yomi had nearly reached the base of the tower.

"The rest is up to you...Takanashi..." Kurai gasped.

With one last breath, he closed his eyes and collapsed.

"With your help...she will become the greatest nightmare the world has ever known."

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and continue to read! Only two chapters left! DarkNovelist out.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: A Night of Blood and Tears (pt. 2)**

* * *

**Yuu's Fortress**

* * *

_**General P.O.V.**_

* * *

Strength growled as she sent a powerful punch at Blue Knight, slamming her massive metal gauntlet into the woman's expressionless face. The dark armor warrior flew back into the remnants of a wall, taking no heed of the many injuries the other-self had inflicted. Raising her hand, Blue Knight prepared to cast another ice spell at her opponent.

"Annihilate everything." she said mechanically.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of hearing you say that." Strength groaned.

The small girl converted her gauntlets into a pair of quad barreled machine guns, and began to fire relentlessly as Blue Knight unleashed a barrage of ice spikes. The dark armor woman bit her lip in frustration. Since basic ice spells had not been enough, she raised a hand above her head and prepared a much stronger spell. A large ball of cold magic began forming above her head, and soon a sphere of deadly frozen energy was completed. Blue Knight extended her hand toward Strength, and the sphere surged toward her. Strength lowered her gun arms and glared straight at the sphere. The spell crashed into its target, exploding on impact. Blue Knight smirked victoriously. Then to her surprise, Strength jumped over the dust of the explosion and landed right in front of her. Before Blue Knight could react, Strength converted her machine guns into a pair of single barreled cannons, and shoved them into the dark armor woman's face.

"Annihilate this!" Strength yelled.

The small girl fired, and all that remained of Blue Knight's head were a few sparking wires flailing about wildly where the woman's neck would have been. The dark armor fell to the ground, deactivating as it was incinerated by blue flames. Strength converted her cannons back into hands and looked over to Saya, who was battling with Red Knight. The dark armor swordsman clashed with the horned woman, greatsword against greatsword. Red Knight pulled back after blocking a strike and went into preparation for a deadly thrust at Saya's unguarded stomach. Saya parried the strike and slashed with the serrated back edge of her sword, cutting into the dark armor warrior's side. Red Knight recoiled at the injury, grunting before readying himself for another attack. Saya took a stance with her sword as well. The two blade wielders circled around each other, searching for an opening in their opponent's movements. All of a sudden, the combatants sprang towards each other, weapons raised. Red Knight slashed vertically, and Saya swung horizontally with the back edge of her sword. The sword wielders skidded to a halt some distance away from each other, with their backs facing each other. There was a surge of electricity as Red Knight's torso fell from his body, and burst into blue fire. A spray of red/black blood burst from Saya's shoulder, forcing her down on one knee.

"Saya!" Strength called as she ran to the woman's side.

Saya steadied herself with her sword and rose to her feet. "I'll be fine, he just cut my shoulder kind of deep."

Strength shot the woman a stern look. "Saya, if you don't feel safe…"

"No, it's alright! Really! I can still help you and the others."

Strength nodded reluctantly. "Remember, if this gets too dangerous, you need to get away as quick as you can. I don't want to lose you…" her gaze drifted to the tall woman's stomach. "…either of you."

Saya nodded her head in understanding. "I will."

Strength then turned toward the giant pillar that had finally stopped rising. "It looks like Yomi is almost to the tower. We'd better catch up if we want to make it to Ebony in time."

"Yes, let's be on our way."

* * *

Yomi stood at the base of the tower, surrounded by dead hollows. Acreios sat slung at her waist, and her scythe twitched impatiently in her hands. Thanks to the others, she had managed to avoid facing a powerful enemy and had only had hollow grunts to take care of, allowing her to reach the base of the tower in around two minutes. She knew it was too easy to be getting here so fast, and was therefore unsurprised when Ichigo appeared to confront her at the base of the tower. To tell the truth, she had somewhat hoped he would challenge her. The wounds he had inflicted on her in their previous encounter had given her an unfamiliar craving for vengeance, and she had used the two days of preparation after learning of Yuu's plot to prepare for this exact showdown. Ichigo growled at her through his hollow mask, clutching his black katana tightly. He glared at the vampiress with empty eyes, but Yomi could sense the hatred all the same. Returning the glare, Yomi readied her scythe for combat.

(Battle theme: Bleach OST: What Can You See in Their Eyes?)

Ichigo roared and charged toward her, sword first. Yomi deflected the strike and slashed at the vasto lorde's head. The sooner she ended him, the better. Ichigo ducked under the deadly sickle, and proceeded to rapidly attack Yomi with lightning fast sword strikes. The vampiress struggled against the fierce onslaught for a moment, then focused on her enemy's arm. All of a sudden, Ichigo's sword arm bent backwards, causing him to drop the weapon as he cried out in pain. Yomi took advantage of the moment to send a slice across the vasto lorde's chest. Ichigo growled and leapt back as a second strike threatened to cut him in two. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Ichigo quickly formed a large cero between his horns. He fired the doom blast with a roar, watching Yomi flinch for a moment before leaping out of the path of the blast. The vampiress flew towards Ichigo, spinning her scythe in a deadly arc as she neared him. The vasto lorde held out his good hand and called his sword back to his grip in time to stop the curved blade from cutting him to shreds. Snapping his other arm back into place, Ichigo then brought his hand down on the scythe, effectively smashing the blade to pieces. Discarding the now useless weapon, Yomi clenched her fingers together and thrust them at the vasto lorde. Ichigo caught the hand just before the clawed tipped glove could penetrate his forehead. Pulling his sword behind his back, Ichigo quickly charged a Getsugatensho before swinging it at his captive enemy. At the last possible second, Yomi used her power to break the bones in Ichigo's hand, kick the vasto lorde in his face, and leap into the air as the deadly wave of black and red energy soared harmlessly away below her. Landing on her feet, the vampiress glared at Ichigo as he repaired his broken bones and growled furiously at her. If the battle continued to go at this pace, then it would be far too late to save Ebony by the time she had found a way to win. _He's too strong, and too fast. Even if I use Acreios and my marrowmancy (her ability to control people's bone marrow), it won't be enough. Dammit, how am I supposed to beat him?_ Yomi thought.

"_**What's wrong, woman? Are you giving up?"**_ came a familiar voice inside the vampiress' head.

Yomi paused for a moment. _"Ulquiorra?"_

"_**That trash beat you before, left you stranded in the middle of nowhere, and took your woman from you. Are you going to let him crush you again?"**_

"_Of course not! But how am I supposed to beat him?"_

"_**Use the sword given to you by the blacksmith. If you recall its properties, you would realize why it's the perfect weapon to use on him."**_

"_I know that! I just don't have the power necessary to match his strength and speed!"_

"_**If that is all you require, then leave it to me. I shall give you the power you need."**_

Yomi's eyes widened as a sudden familiar surge of power built up inside her, and she began to change. Her eyes returned to their original shade of luminescent green, the veil on her horns burned away, along with the sleeves and shoulders of her dress, her upper arms became covered in black fur, and she gained real claws in place of those on her gloves. Her wings became large and bat-like, and green rain began to fall from the sky. Yomi looked at her new features with mixed confusion and recognition: they were a part of the espada's second ressurecion form.

"_**There. Use my power to put that trash in his place."**_ the espada explained.

Yomi clenched her fingers into a fist. _"Understood. Thank you, Ulquiorra."_

Ichigo glared at his opponent with immense hatred. **"Es…spada…!"** he growled.

He quickly formed a cero between his horns and fired on the vampiress. Yomi made no attempt to dodge, and instead held out her hand. A black and green orb of energy formed in her hand.

"Cero Oscuras." she announced.

The orb transformed into an enormous blast of green and black energy that dwarfed the one shot by Ichigo, overpowering the weaker cero and hitting the vasto lorde with full force. Ichigo coughed violently as he rose from the cloud of dust raised from the large explosion, littered with bruises and burns. The vasto lorde kept a tight grip on his sword and lunged at Yomi, roaring in anger. The vampiress stepped aside to evade the attack, and in one swift motion drew Acreios from its sheath and slashed at Ichigo's head. The vasto lorde spun around and skidded to a halt. One of his horns had been severed by the strike, along with a portion of his shoulder. He felt a strange burning sensation from the wound in his shoulder, and with a start saw that it was smoking. Yomi flicked the blood from her sword and narrowed her eyes at the vasto lorde.

"Have you figured it out?' she began. "This sword is called Acreios Diavolos Fonias, the 'vile devil slayer'. It is a sword specifically designed to slay impure demons, like hollows, for example. Any injury inflicted by this blade on a demon will burn with the fires of judgment, and will never truly heal. Your arm still hurts from when Ebony cut it off, doesn't it?"

Ichigo cringed in frustration. What the vampiress said was true, there was still a mark from where he had lost his limb, and it burned and throbbed even now. The vasto lorde roared in pain and anger, and readied his sword for combat. Yomi also took a stance.

"Come, let us end this duel."

The two warriors cried out in anger as they sprang toward each other, and swung with all their might.

* * *

"I hate you." Yuu said.

She sat cross legged on the top of the tower, with Ebony laying unconscious across her lap. It seemed that the sudden downpour of green rain didn't bother her, as she continued to sleep peacefully. Yuu frowned at the girl as she gently stroked her stomach and held her head aloft.

"I hate you for lying to me. I hate you for giving me hope for a life of happiness, then taking it all away. I hate you for not being able to get angry at anyone, no matter how horrible they are. I hate you for never noticing me, no matter how hard I tried to gain your affection. But most of all..." Yuu took a deep breath to stifle back tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "most of all, I hate you for being the one person I ever truly loved. Even now, when the multiverse is just moments away from armageddon, I am still hopelessly in love with you. Your smile, that always makes me feel glad to be around you; your hair, long and black and pretty as a starless night sky; and your eyes, that will never see me as more than a friend. No, now they will only see me as the monster I have become."

The demon girl let out a sad chuckle and looked back up at the sky. "It probably doesn't matter now, but I do regret all the things I've done. Destroying our home, becoming a host for Satan, orchestrating the mass murder of countless civilizations, manipulating and raping Kagari, and..." she paused again before closing her eyes. "Making Rider bare my child. If I had a choice, I would make it so that none of this ever happened. Our world wouldn't be destroyed..." Yuu felt around the front of her suit for its hidden contents. "I would've confessed my feelings to you, and gotten your answer, and you wouldn't have ended up like this, trapped as a fusion of two completely different women. It may be pointless, but for the first time in my life, I'm...sorry. I'm sorry that I'm such a horrible, selfish person."

Ebony stirred slightly in her arms, then was at ease and continued to sleep. Yuu sighed. "You can't even hear me, can you? You're too busy enjoying whatever dream my curse has given you. That's fine, I wouldn't want you to hear me sounding so weak and pathetic anyways."

Yuu stood up slowly, shifting Ebony gently as she held the girl bridal style. "Well, I'd say its been about ten minutes, and there's no sign of Takanashi. I guess that means I win." Yuu tilted Ebony's head so that it was close to hers. "Time to wake up, my bride."

The demon girl pursed her lips and leaned close to Ebony. Finally, she could experience the joy of having those lips on hers. Just as Yuu was about to connect, she suddenly felt her head jerk away without her meaning to.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." said a very unwelcome voice.

Chains suddenly wrapped around Ebony, and the sleeping girl was torn from Yuu's grasp. Shaking with fear and anger, the demon girl watched as her would be bride was carried through the air and into the waiting arms of Yomi, who stood on the other side of the platform, with Ichigo laying dead at her feet. The vampiress held the sleeping bride close and leaned close to her.

"These lips belong to me."

Passionately, the vampiress captured Ebony's lips in a deep kiss. Yuu watched in silent despair as everything was taken away from her once again, by the same exact person. Yomi pulled away from the bride, whose eyes began to sleepily flutter open.

"Yomi?" whispered Ebony.

The vampiress smiled. "Good morning, sleeping beauty. Your prince has come to free you with true love's kiss."

"Kiss..." Ebony felt her lips, and her eyes went wide with shock when she felt the dampness of saliva. "Yomi, did you kiss me?"

"Yes, I did."

"Do you have any idea what that means?!"

"I do, and I promise I will do my best to properly raise our child."

Ebony was still shocked, but let a bit of ease come over here. Then, she grew worried again. "Yuu! Where's Yuu? I have to tell her something!"

Yomi gestured to her right. "She's here."

Ebony stood up and looked over at the demon girl. Yuu was down on her knees, her head drooped over in sorrow.

**"Why..."** the demon girl muttered.

"What?"

Yuu's head shot up to look at the pair. Her eyes were overflowing with tears and hatred. **"WHY MUST YOU TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME?! WHY MUST I SUFFER? WHY? WHY DO ALL OF YOU HATE ME SO MUCH?! WHY CAN I NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY HAPPINESS? TELL ME WHY!"**

Both Yomi and Ebony stared in regret at the demon girl. Yomi was the first to speak. "I don't hate you, neither of us do. I don't like watching you suffer, especially when its my fault. I know that the world has been cruel to you, and I'm sorry to have been a part of that cruelty. But if you want happiness, then there is still a chance for you, Yuu." the vampiress extended her hand. "Just take my hand, walk away from it all. Let's start over, all of us. We can make our own happiness, just you, me, and Ebony."

Ebony also held out her hand. "I heard you, Yuu. I heard what you said to me. You hate being like this, so let it go. If you walk away from it all now, I will forgive you for everything. I will try my hardest to make up for all the pain I've caused you. Please Yuu, just let go."

Yuu stared at the two girls who stood reaching out to her. They were begging her to quit, saying that they were sorry, and that they could forgive her for everything she'd done. What rotten creatures these two were. Offering forgiveness when it was impossible. They had already made a fool of her once, and she wasn't about to let them do it again. Letting all the hatred she could muster show in her eyes, she glared at the two women.

**"Both of you...are such terrible liars."** Yuu spoke at last. **"It's time you realized, MY HEART IS NOT A TOY! I WON'T LET YOU LIE TO ME AND SAY THAT YOU CAN FORGIVE ME, JUST SO YOU CAN BREAK MY HEART AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! I AM NOT YOUR PLAYTHING!"**

Yomi and Ebony watched in horror as a skyscraper sized aura of blue fire erupted around the small girl. They could see her eyes turning into a furious bright blue, and her teeth bared in an angry scowl.

"Yuu, stop!" Ebony pleaded.

**"THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS FOR ME! I AM LOVED BY NONE, AND HATED BY ALL! THIS ENTIRE MULTIVERSE IS MY HELL! I AM DOOMED TO SUFFER FOR ALL OF ETERNITY, TO BE FORGOTTEN AND ABANDONED! THERE IS NO HOPE FOR ME, THERE IS NO SALVATION, SO LET MY SOUL BURN!"**

"Don't!"

**"SATAN! LORD OF GEHENNA! I AM SATISFIED WITH MY GOAL! I SURRENDER MYSELF TO YOU! LET MY BODY BECOME YOUR VESSEL, SO THAT YOU CAN CONDEMN THIS ACCURSED WORLD TO ETERNAL DAMNATION! MAKE THEM PAY! MAKE THEM SUFFER! MAKE THEM KNOW MY PAIN!"**

"NO! YUU!"

With one final cry of anguish, Yuu's body disappeared inside the vortex of flames. Ebony tried to run into the fire, but Yomi held her back.

"Let me go! We have to help her!" Ebony pleaded.

"We can't...It's too late now..." Yomi said mournfully.

The vortex finally dissipated, and revealed a terrible new being.

"She's gone."

Where Yuu once stood, there was now a tall woman with a long trail of blue fire trailing from her head for hair. The woman was completely covered in white exoskeletal plating, and had hooves in place of feet and a long vertebrae like tail trailing from her waist. A hole could be seen on her midriff, just above her belly button. Her face was like that of a skull, eternally smiling. She had brilliant blue eyes, and burning red pupils that glared at the pair with all the hatred in the world.

**"Damn, I always thought I was the biggest jerk in the universe."** the woman spoke in a mixture of Yuu's and Satan's voice, though her mouth did not move. **"You two really fucked her up, I'm actually kinda impressed."**

Yomi let go of Ebony, who had stopped struggling. "What happened to Yuu?" the vampiress demanded.

**"The runt? She's gone. Nothing more than a part of me now."**

"And just who the hell are you?" growled Ebony.

**"Isn't that obvious? I'm Satan. Since Yuu has surrendered her body to me, I am free to use it however I please. How about I start by carrying out her last wish, and kick the shit out of the both of you? Then when I'm done with that, I'll merge the rest of the multiverse with hell! At last, my dream will finally be realized!"**

Ebony glared at the demon woman. There was no point in arguing with her, Satan/Yuu was set on destroying her and Yomi. _Why did it have to come to this?_ she thought. Yomi held the hilt of Acreios out to her love, and formed a green energy lance in her hand.

"Ebony, we're going to have to fight her, so use this." said the vampiress. "It's an anti-demon sword, so it should work pretty well against her."

Ebony took the sword into her hands and nodded. "I know. I understand."

"I'm sorry it came to this...I never wanted to hurt her."

"Yeah, me either."

The two lovers readied their weapons.

**"Well ladies, shall we dance?" **the demon said as she held out her arms.

(Final Battle theme: Magia by Kalafina)

Yomi and Ebony charged forward, swinging sword and lance. Satan/Yuu didn't so much as flinch as the weapons closed in, and spun around, knocking the weapons aside with a small vortex of flame. Then, the demon's arms became abnormally large, and she delivered a powerful punch to both of her opponents. Both Ebony and Yomi grunted in pain as they were flung back. Catching their balance, the pair charged again. This time Satan/Yuu held her arms up, and a vast number of spears made of hellfire formed around her. Thrusting her arms forward, the demon cast the volley at the lovers. Yomi stopped to deflect several spears while Ebony continued to advance toward the demon. Satan/Yuu steadied herself as Ebony lunged, and blocked an incoming strike with her forearm. Ebony ducked under the hoof that flew at her head shortly after, and countered with an upward slash. The demon vanished for a second, leaving Ebony confused.

**"Over here."** its voice called teasingly.

Ebony turned around in time for the demon's fist to slam directly into her face. The would be bride flew backwards into the ground.

"Ebony!" Yomi cried.

The vampiress dashed in front of her love and tossed her energy lance at the demon. Satan/Yuu caught the projectile and crushed it in her hand, much to Yomi's surprise. The vampiress formed another lance and thrust at the demon as it drew near. Satan/Yuu didn't bother to evade, and the weapon broke as it came in contact with the demon. The demon's hand grew large again and closed around the vampiress. With Yomi trapped in her grasp, she began to squeeze.

**"Weak, very weak."**

Suddenly, the demon felt a slight pain in its side. Looking down, she saw Ebony with Acreios thrust through her stomach. Satan/Yuu scoffed, then brought down Yomi on top of her lover. The demon then stomped on the ground, the force knocking her opponents into the air. Satan/Yuu laughed as her tail extended to wrap around Ebony before flinging her into Yomi, sending the pair flying over to the other side of the platform. The lovers regained their footing and skidded to a halt just before the edge.

"Damn, we can't do a thing at close range, not when she's that strong." Yomi noted.

"I agree. Let's try softening her up a bit first." Ebony stated.

Ebony held out her unoccupied hand and focused. Soon enough, a cannon the size of a small house had materialized around her arm. Yomi held out her hand, and began to charge a cero oscuras. Satan/Yuu witnessed it all, and laughed as the blasts neared firing point.

**"Bring it on!"** the demon cried.

Yelling in unison, Yomi and Ebony unleashed their attacks, causing the blasts to combine into one enormous blue/green/black energy blast. Satan/Yuu disappeared from view as the enormous blast collided, causing a giant explosion of energy. The lovers watched the rising dust cloud carefully, unsure if they had won. Their eyes widened in surprise as the cloud dissipated, revealing the demon to be still standing, with no injuries whatsoever.

**"How pathetic. Your attacks are not even worth dodging."** Satan/Yuu taunted.

The demon then held out its hands, and two orbs of fiery blue energy began to form. After a moment, Satan/Yuu thrust both her hands forward, and two gigantic beams of hellfire erupted from the orbs. Yomi desperately threw up a barrier of chains, even summoning her twin skulls to shield her and Ebony from the blasts. But it was all for naught, and the barrier and the skulls were blown to bits by the blasts, and the torrent of hellfire came crashing down on the lovers. Satan/Yuu waited for the smoke to clear to see the damage she had inflicted. Yomi and Ebony now lay severely injured on the ground, barely holding on to consciousness. Ebony managed to prop herself up with Acreios, and hefted Yomi onto her shoulder. Satan/Yuu laughed at the pair as they struggled just to make it onto their knees.

**"Is that it? I expected a much better fight from the two of you. Oh well, I suppose that's to be expected now that I am able to use all of my power."**

The demon raised a hand above her head. A gigantic sphere of hellfire began to materialize (think of the spirit bomb from dragonball, it's about that size), covering everyone in a deathly blue glow.

**"Say goodbye, hopeless fools! Eehehehehehehehehehehehee!"**

Ebony watched the massive sphere of hellfire slowly leave the demon's hand. Holding Yomi close, she closed her eyes and waited for the end. The heat of the sphere drew dangerously close, then suddenly began to fade. Confused, Ebony opened her eyes. Strength was standing in front of her and Yomi, surrounded by orange flame and holding back the sphere with four arms.

"Strength?!" she exclaimed.

"You can't give up now!" the small girl responded, still looking at the sphere. "If you give up now, then you'll just be abandoning her again."

"Strength, she's gone. Yuu's gone."

The small girl was quiet for a moment as she continued to hold back the hellfire. "No, not yet. There's still a chance to save her soul."

"How?"

"You know how."

Realization dawned on Ebony. "No way! I can't use that! It'll be no better than leaving her as she is now!"

"Which would you prefer, her soul being trapped inside of you, or trapped inside of Satan?"

Ebony bit her lip in frustration. She knew the small girl was right. There was only one way for her to even come close to being on par with Yuu now. Having made her decision, she gently set down Yomi and stood up.

"Make up your mind, Ebony! I can't hold this back much longer!" Strength continued.

"I know, I've made my choice. Just try to hold on for a few more moments."

Ebony closed her eyes and focused. Soon enough, she found herself standing in the snowy fields of her mindscape. Ivory was already waiting for her, Soul Edge in hand. The woman in white smiled as her crimson eyes traced over her counterpart.

_**"Finally made up your**** mind?"**_** .**she said coyly.

_"I have. I will accept your power."_ Ebony replied.

Ivory held out the cursed sword to her counterpart. Ebony took hold of the weapon, still glaring at Ivory.

_"However, I'm not going to keep it. Once I have won this duel, you can take this power back."_

Ivory's smile widened a bit. _**"If that is what you wish, then so be it. Just don't put it to waste, dear Ebony."** _

With that, the counterpart released its hold on the evil weapon, and Ebony vanished from the world of her mind. Back in reality, Strength had fallen down on one knee, and her extra arms had burned away. She felt the last of her stamina leave her as her gauntlets exploded and she collapsed. To her surprise, she was not immediately consumed by hellfire. Instead she heard the clanking of metal boots as a figure clad in armor walked past her, parting the flames as it went.

"Ebony?" Strength whispered weakly.

The sapphire eyed girl glanced past her armored shoulder down at the small girl. "Thank you, Strength. I'll take it from here."

Ebony now wore a suit of shining azure armor that covered everything but her head. Using Acreios as its vessel, Soul Edge had taken root in the demon slaying sword, which now had red flesh like decorations spreading along its hilt and blade, along with a single yellow eye that glared at everything around it. Satan/Yuu stared in actual surprise as Ebony approached her. The demon looked in interest at the massive amount of hate in the azure girl's eyes.

**"Huh, so not only did you survive that, but you also got an upgrade? Interesting. Perhaps now you will fight me for real!"** Satan/Yuu declared.

Ebony said nothing. She simply raised her sword in preparation. Satan/Yuu took the stance as an invitation to begin, and charged toward the azure girl with one of her fists enlarged. Ebony swiftly ducked under the strike and cut upwards. Satan/Yuu paused for a moment before looking back and seeing her arm lying on the ground, severed from her body. Enraged, the demon regrew her severed limb and converted her arms into a pair of curved blades before rushing towards the azure girl again. Ebony blocked the lightning fast strikes that came her way, eventually countering with a powerful swipe that cut across the demon's mid section. Satan/Yuu roared in anger and began to throw everything she had at Ebony. The azure girl took several blows, but returned just as many as she received. Satan/Yuu growled and narrowed her eyes before leaping back to get some breathing room.

**"How? How the hell did you get so strong?" **demanded the demon.

Ebony remained silent, focusing on ending the battle as soon as possible.

Satan/Yuu growled in anger and converted her hands back into a pair of giant clawed fists, which then became covered in blue flames. **"I'v had enough of this! You've been a thorn in mys side for far too long! NOW DIE!"**

The demon charged toward Ebony, pouring every last ounce of hatred into its fists as it swung. Ebony charged to meet the blows, swinging down the corrupted Acreios. Satan/Yuu watched in silent awe as her arms were cut off by that single slice, just before Ebony repositioned her sword and thrust it through the demon's chest. The demon felt its power and strength start to vanish as glowing blue cracks formed all over its body. The azure girl then wrapped an arm around the demon and pulled it into a hug. Tears starting to pour from her eyes, Ebony leaned her head up to whisper in Satan/Yuu's ear.

"I'm sorry, Yuu."

Then with a final cry of anguish and regret, Ebony thrust Acreios deeper into the demon. Satan/Yuu gasped, then let loose an earsplitting scream as her body exploded in a shower of blue hellfire. All across the multiverse, a bright blue light could be seen shining.

* * *

Yomi slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She was sitting among the ruins of Yuu's fortress, with bits and pieces of white crystal strewn all about her. Glancing around, she caught sight of Ebony standing a short distance away, staring down at something on the ground. She was no longer wearing her azure armor, and had returned to wearing the black dress. Making her way to the sad girl, the vampiress stood beside her and gaze in regret at what lay before her. Yuu, now back in her human form, sat leaning against a pile of rubble, with Acreios still stuck in her chest.

"Are...you satsified?" the small girl muttered weakly, forcing her half lidded eyes to stare up at the lovers. "I've bean beaten...my fortress is destroyed...my servants are all dead...and my daughter has most likely perished along with them...I have nothing left...so now are you satisfied?"

Ebony bent down and hugged the small girl. After a moment, she pulled back and stared into the small girl's eyes. "Yuu, I have to show you something."

Without waiting for consent, EBony pressed her forehead against Yuu's, and the two fell unconscious.

* * *

Ebony and Yuu rematerialized at the moment when Mato and Yomi kissed for the first time.

"Why did you bring me back here? Haven't you tortured me enough?" Yuu protested.

"No. Please watch." Ebony responded.

They were at the moment when past Yuu ran away, and past Mato and Yomi were just coming out of another kiss. Yomi backed away for a moment.

"Wait." the green eyed girl said.

"What's wrong, Yomi?" Mato asked in confusion.

"Are you...sure, that I'm the one you want?"

"Wha...of course!"

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way...but, I think you need to make sure first."

"What are you saying, Yomi?"

"I have a good feeling...that I'm not the only one who likes you."

"Really? But who else could there be?"

Before their exchange could continue, past Kagari burst into the room with worry written all over her face.

"Yomi? What are you doing here?" the blond demanded.

"I was...talking to Mato. Why do you ask?"

"Yuu was supposed to meet Mato here, alone! She had something very important to say!"

Realization dawned on past Yomi, as well as immense regret. "Kagari, where is Yuu now?"

"Kagari saw her running away, and she was crying her eyes out. I think I heard her leave the school grounds."

"What?! That can't be good. Mato, come on! We have to find her!"

The three past selves ran out the door, through the school, and into the city streets. The world shifted, and stopped on the scene of the accident that killed Yuu. By this time, the body had already been recovered, and the small girl was nowhere to be found. The three past selves looked around the scene, and eventually stumbled across the remains of Yuu's valentine. Mato saw the tag on the partially crushed box.

"'To: Mato.'?" she read. "But, who could've wrote this?"

Yomi picked up the box and opened it. She gasped when she looked at the contents. "Mato, look at this. It's still intact."

The short girl walked over and looked inside. Within the box was a painting of Mato smiling, along with a necklace with a star pendant. Mato picked up the necklace and looked at it.

"It's very pretty. I wish I knew who did all of this, at least then I could thank them."

Yomi and Mato paused for a moment when they heard a sniffling sound. They looked over at Kagari, who was starting to walk away from them.

"Kagari, what's wrong? Where are you going?" Yomi asked.

The blond turned around to face them with tears in her eyes. "I'm going to keep looking for Yuu. Kagari has to tell her what she wanted to hear, because Kagari was the only one who payed attention."

* * *

Ebony pulled away from Yuu, who now looked up at her with tearful eyes. The sapphire eyed girl reached into a pocket of her wedding dress and pulled out something shiny. It was the necklace Yuu had gotten for her.

"I wish I knew then that it was you. You were right, I do love it." Ebony said. "I'm so sorry...it's all my fault..."

"I'm sorry too." Yomi said, kneeling down. "It's as much my fault as it is hers. I wasn't sure about your feelings, and ended up crushing them right in front of you. I'm so, so sorry."

Yuu said nothing, she merely closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I see...so it wasn't a waste, after all..."

"Kaa-san!" a tiny voice cried out.

Yuu opened her eyes at the sound. She tilted her head to the side and saw a tiny mass of lavender bolting towards her.

"Evelyn...?"

"Kaa-san!" the little girl cried again.

Evelyn wrapped her arms tightly around her mother, for fear that she would disappear. Yuu stared down at the child, shedding tears of relief as she returned the hug as best she could.

"Thank goodness...I was worried about you..." Yuu wheezed.

Her daughter smiled up at her tearfully. Then her eyes saw the sword planted in Yuu's chest.

"Kaa-san! You're hurt!" Evelyn exclaimed.

"Yeah...its pretty bad...I don't think...I can shrug off this one..."

"Kaa-san...mama..."

"But it's alright...because I'm finally...not alone anymore."

"No, you definitely aren't." said a new voice.

The four looked over to see Strength, Saya, Inoue, and Alucard walk over to them.

Alucard tipped his hat at Yomi and Ebony. "See you around, skull-girl."

Yomi smiled at the ancient vampire. "Yeah, see you Alucard."

With that, the no-life king transformed into a cloud of bats and disappeared. Strength, Inoue, and Saya walked over to join the others. Strength sat next to Yuu, who was petting the back of Evelyn's head in an attempt to calm the child.

"Yuu, if you want me to I can-" Inoue began.

Yuu shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary. I think...I need a long...vacation..."

Strength moved closer to her counterpart. "Yuu, remember how you wanted us to be reborn, so that we could be happy in another life?"

Yuu stared confused at her other self. "Yes...?"

Strength smiled and whispered in her ear. Yuu's eyes went wide, and she turned her gaze to Saya, who in turn nodded.

"I can do anything you can do, after all." Strength chuckled.

Yuu smiled and let out a deep sigh. Then all of a sudden, she let out a violent cough.

"Yuu? Mama?" the others said in alarm.

"I think (cough) this is it..."

"Mama!" Evelyn tightened her grip on her mother.

Yuu's eyes went blank and half lidded. "Evelyn...I want you...to do something..."

The little girl looked up at Yuu.

"Promise me...you'll grow up...and be a good girl...don't be...a terrible person...like your kaa-san..."

Evelyn sniffled and nodded her little head. "I promise, mama."

Yuu smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you...Evelyn...even if I'm gone...your kaa-san will always love you..."

Yuu coughed violently again, this time longer and louder. Strength put her arms around her counterpart and hugged her close.

"It's time to go." she said.

Yuu let out a deep sigh. Her body and Strength's slowly started to turn to ash, starting from their legs. "Yes...it's about time..."

Their lower halves were completely ash.

"...for me...to say..."

Everywhere up to their necks had turned to ash.

"...goodbye."

Yuu and Strength's bodies turned completely dark, and they slowly dissolved into the wind. At long last, the war had come to an end.

* * *

**End of Part Two: Retribution**

* * *

**A/N: **There's still an epilogue, 1 chapter to go!


	27. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

**Karakura Town, 4 months later…**

* * *

_**Ebony**_

* * *

I stood staring at the store that sat alone at the end of the alley. In days long past, the building had been a base of operations during times of crisis, as well as a safe house for those who didn't want to attract attention. This would be the first time I've seen it in nearly a year. I was glad to know that Karakura town had managed to escape destruction during the war, a fate few other worlds shared. Inoue had taken in Evelyn, who now resembled a teenager, and was currently giving the girl a quick lecture on first impressions. Saya had decided to stay in Windbloom with her daughter Tsuyo-sa*. The little brunette was practically the spitting image of Yuu, were it not for her crimson eyes and slightly longer hair. Since same-sex couples were legal in Windbloom, Yomi and I had decided to tie the knot a few weeks before I gave birth to two beautiful little girls. After the destruction of both our worlds, I had decided there was only one place left for us to call home. So once we figured out how to make ourselves appear as humans again, (it was actually pretty simple, with Yomi's illusion abilities as a vampire), the four of us along with Inoue and Evelyn had set out for Urahara's Shop. I felt a tugging at the rims of my dress and looked down. Two sets of eyes, one green and one blue, were looking up at me in uncertainty.

"Mama, is that place safe?" said the one with blue eyes. Her dark hair trailed into a pair of long curls.

"Yeah, it looks kinda run-down." said the other with green eyes. This one had dark hair like her sister, except she had two little pigtails on the top of its head and glasses over her eyes.

I smiled down at the two. "Don't worry, it's safe. If anything happens, Yomi kaa-san and I will protect you."

They both returned the smile and nodded enthusiastically. Inoue had finished talking with Evelyn, so I shifted the load I carried on my back, took hold of both my daughter's hands, and the five of us walked inside. The first thing I saw was Ururu sweeping the floor, while Jinta reclined on a matt on the floor reading some kind of manga. Yoruichi was in a similar state, sitting up and yawning. At least, until she saw me and Inoue. Before we could even say 'hi', she gave us a goofy smile, bolted over, and caught the two of us in a bear hug.

"Rukia! Inoue! You guys finally came back!" she said happily.

The tall woman squeezed so hard that if it weren't for my advanced healing, she probably would've crushed my lungs.

"H-hi Yoruichi…I'm glad to see you too…I know its been a while, but…could you…maybe…stop…squishing us?" I gasped.

Snapping back to reality, Yoruichi released her hold on us. Inoue and I started desperately gasping for breath.

"Mama! Are you okay?" my daughters said.

"Mama?" Yoruichi mumbled. She then took notice of my children, along with the ring on my hand. A look of surprise and joy spread across the ex-captain's face. "Oh Rukia, you didn't tell me you settled down. And here I thought you were just avoiding us."

Finally able to breathe again, I gave her a sarcastic smile. "Sorry for not calling or anything, a lot happened and I haven't had much time to rest."

"I can see that." she then looked over at Inoue and Evelyn. "Oh! Inoue, you too?"

The orange haired woman smiled shyly. "Well, I wouldn't say I've settled down exactly…"

Yoruichi just laughed it off. Then she started looking past us. "Where's everyone else?"

Both me and Inoue went silent. Yoruichi caught on and frowned slightly. "Ah, I see." Not wanting to dwell on past sorrows, she immediately went back into a smile. "Well, I'm sure they're in a better place now. I'll go get Kisuke and Tessai. They'll want to talk to you too."

Soon after, we were all gathered around a table in the living room. Inoue and I summarized what had happened during the course of the war after we left here the first time (omitting some parts for Inoue's sake, also because of the children being present.). When we had finally finished, Yoruichi and Mr. Urahara nodded in understanding. Then Yoruichi had a mischievous smile on her face.

"That's very interesting, but there's one thing you forgot to mention." She noted.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"You still haven't told us who the lucky guy is. Come on, Ebony, who managed to capture your heart?"

I could sense a furious blush rising from my cheeks as I whispered. "Um, it's…not a guy…"

I tried really, really hard not to laugh at Yoruichi's and Urahara's expressions when I said that.

"You mean…you…" Urahara stuttered.

"Married another woman and had children with her, yes. Surprised?"

"Uh, yeah! You never exactly struck us as being gay! Also, how the he-" I shot him a stern look and pointed at my daughters. He paused for a moment before continuing. "How exactly did another woman get you pregnant?"

Inoue and I sent our children out of the room while explained, then called them back while trying to get Urahara to stop his nosebleed.

"So where is the other girl?" Yoruichi asked after things had calmed down.

"Oh, she's resting right now. It wouldn't be wise to disturb her now, but I could introduce you to her later tonight." I responded.

"Okay, but why tonight?"

I smirked secretly. "She's not exactly a morning person."

Yoruichi shrugged. "Works for me. Now what about those two lovely little angels of yours? You still haven't introduced us."

"Ah, you're right." I pulled both of my daughters in for a hug, to which they responded by giggling. "Yoruichi, Mr. Urahara, these are my daughters," I pointed at the one with blue eyes. "Hisana**," I then pointed to the one with glasses. "and Shinzo."

"Nice to meet you!" my daughters said in unison.

We spent the rest of the day introducing Evelyn and talking about living arrangements. Mr. Urahara was nice enough to loan me some money to find a home, and said we could stay at the shop until we found somewhere nice. Eventually evening came, and Inoue went back to her house with Evelyn. I told Hisana and Shinzo they could stay up a little later than usual so that they could spend more time with Yomi after I introduced her. I went over to my luggage and slowly untied a large package that was just a bit taller than me. I undid the bindings and backed away as the cover fell from the package. Underneath the paper covering was a black coffin. Yoruichi and Urahara sent me looks of concern, while my daughters could barely contain their excitement.

"And now, let me introduce you to my lovely wife…Yomi." I said.

Green fog rolled out of the coffin as it slid open, and a pair of pale hands rose up. Yoruichi and Urahara stared in a state of shock at the hands. The hands balled into fists, followed by a petite yawn. Slowly, a silhouetted figure began to rise up out of the coffin, and looked around the room with glowing red eyes. The figure took a few steps out of the coffin, then stood up straight and stretched.

"Jeez, all that walking really messed up my back." the figure said in a sweet voice.

Yoruichi and Urahara were practically shaking when the figure began to step towards the lit part of the room. Upon entering the light, the figures features were revealed. Yomi stood before us dressed in a short green dress and a sun hat. She gazed at my friends with her now green eyes as she smiled at them and held out her hand.

"Hello there! I'm Ebony's wife, Yomi Takanashi. Nice to meet you." she said.

The two adults were stunned by confusion for a moment before they realized that Yomi meant them no harm. No longer afraid, my friends reached out and shook her hand. As soon as they were done introducing themselves, Hisana and Shinzo bolted over to Yomi and hugged her legs.

"Yomi kaa-san!" they both squealed happily.

"Hey there, you two! I missed you." my wife replied as she scooped them up in her arms.

"Uh, Mrs. Takanashi…" Urahara began.

"Please, just call me Yomi."

"Yomi then. I don't mean to be rude, but are you…you know…"

"A vampire? Yes. Why do you ask?"

"No real reason, I was just a little surprised at your dramatic entrance."

"Heh, sorry about that. I sometimes forget that most people don't know about my being a vampire."

"Kaa-san! Can we play?" Hisana asked.

"Of course! I've been dying to get some exercise since we left the palace."

I smiled and took my place by Yomi's side as we all laughed together as a family. It took a few weeks, but we managed to find a nice little house near the river. A few days after that, and we were fully moved in. After putting our daughters to bed, Yomi and I stepped out on to the porch of our new house and watched the sunset. It wasn't bright enough to the point of being dangerous for Yomi, so she smiled when I intertwined my fingers with hers and leaned against her shoulder. We stood like this for a time, then I turned to look up at her. She caught my gaze turned around to meet my eyes. Then, as the last rays of the sun vanished over the horizon, we closed the distance. Finally parting lips, I looked up at the starry night sky. With my free hand, I felt around until I found the necklace that hung from my neck. I closed my hand around the star shaped pendant and silently prayed that Yuu was at peace.

"Don't worry." Yomi said suddenly. She wrapped her arms around me and joined me in gazing up at the stars. "She's still with us. Right here." She pointed to my heart.

I smiled and closed my eyes. "Yeah, you're right."

Yomi smiled and closed the distance again. "Come, it's time we went to bed."

I nodded and listened to her walk inside. I turned my gaze toward the sky one last time before going joining my wife. I cannot forget the way the war started, nor the sacrifices made by the warriors who fought in it. All of its events, both good and bad, will stay with me for the rest of my days. I will never forget them, and I will never forget those who were closest to my heart. I will always remember, that war of blood and tears.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

_**Yuu**_

* * *

**"Yuu..."**

The voice was strangely familiar, but also fairly strange. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. I found myself staring up into a starless black sky. Snow fell all around me, and yet I didn't feel cold. I sat up, and saw that I was in a valley of endless snow covered hills.

"Where...am I?" I asked.

**"You're inside Ebony. She absorbed your soul, remember?"** said the voice again.

I looked around, and eventually my eyes settled on a woman, fairly tall and wearing a white kimono with flowers on it. Her face was similar to that of Ebony's, but closer to what Mato had originally looked like. Minus the long white hair and red eyes, anyway.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled. **"I am Ivory. You could say I'm the other-self of Ebony. I live here, deep inside of her, where I can see the world through her eyes. I am everything she is, and everything she is not."**

"Ivory, huh? So why am I here? Wasn't I killed?"

**"You were, but the weapon Ebony used to kill you absorbed your soul and brought you here. Do you know what this means?"**

"That I'm gonna be here awhile?"

**"That, and I am finally not alone here. With another person around, this place might actually become exciting for a change. Because you are an actual person, you can shape this world to however you want. As long as it doesn't bother Ebony, that is."**

I thought for a moment. Maybe being stuck here wouldn't be so bad after all. It sure beat going to hell. Curious about what Ivory said, I decided to try something.

"Ivory, you said you're a part of Ebony, right?"

**"Yes, that's correct."**

"Does that mean you share her feelings, as well?"

Ivory smiled again. Then she walked toward me, transforming as she did so. Her appearance became that of Mato, identical to the small girl aside from her hair and eyes.

**"Yes, I do."** she said in Mato's voice. **"I know I can't replace the real Mato, but the feelings I have from her are real."** she held out her hand to me. **"The feelings I have for you, are real."**

I paused, unsure. If what she was saying was true, then did that mean that somewhere, buried deep inside of her heart, that she...that Mato...

**"I...I don't like being alone in here. Ebony has Yomi, and...they're always so happy to be together. But...I have no one. I don't know what it feels like to be close to someone. Ebony has Yomi, so if you don't mind...could I...have you?"**

Other-self or not, I could see the loneliness in her eyes. Everything she said was true. I knew how it felt to see others be together, while I never had anyone. That loneliness, that emptiness, had turned me into a monster. Even if she's not the real Mato, even if she is only the manifestation of Ebony's other-self, no one else should have to go through that kind of loneliness. I took her hand, and pulled her on top of me. While she was still blinking in confusion, I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"You can have me...if I can have you." I whispered.

Ivory smiled as tears of joy began to fill her eyes, and she hugged me back. **"Thank you! Thank you so much!"**

I smiled and closed my eyes. "You're welcome."

"I think I'm going to like it here..."

* * *

**The End**

***Tsuyo-sa (strength)**

****Hisana was the name of Rukia's older sister**


End file.
